


Never Trust A Dragon

by jessies_girl



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Blood Magic, Captivity, Dragon AU, Dragon Abuse, Dragon Jensen Ackles, Dragon blood, Guard Jared, Human Jared Padalecki, Hurt Jared Padalecki, Hurt Jensen Ackles, M/M, Oblivious Jared, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2019-08-20 03:55:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 36,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16548392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessies_girl/pseuds/jessies_girl
Summary: Jensen's flight of dragons only really had one rule to go by:Never interact with humans. Not in dragon form andespeciallynot in human form. Humans meant trouble. There was nothing to be gained from a connection.





	1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

 

A flurry of green, grey and blue passed underneath Jensen, not that he took time to admire the view. His focus was on the sleek, black and red shape in front of him. Airik might officially be an adult dragon now, being a few years older than Jensen, but he was just as playful and rebellious as ever. His flying manoevers were graceful and daring and Jensen enjoyed following suit and feeling the rush of air on his green shimmering black scales. He lost track of time and space as he kept up with Airik and finally joined him on a ledge high upon a cliff overlooking the valley.

"That was fun," Jensen huffed as his sharp eyes looked over the valley below. He had never ventured that far out of their realm, knowing it was frowned upon by the elders. The valley was human territory. Dragons and humans just didn't mix.

Following a major fallout centuries back humans and dragons just kept their sides and tried to stay out of each other's hair. Hjálmarr, the oldest and wisest of their flight, sometimes entered the villages in his human form to see if there was any kind of danger forming.

That's how the flight knew that while the humans knew about dragons and the magic of their blood, they - over the pass of the centuries - forgot about the fact that dragon's were able to shift form. Hjálmarr made use of this regularly to ensure humans didn't also forget about not setting foot into the dragon realm. Humans meant trouble. There was nothing to be gained from a connection.

For the same reason the flight members only really had one rule to go by: Never interact with humans. Not in dragon form and especially not in human form.

"Yeah, it was," Airik confirmed. "Hey Jensen, see that female there?" Airik pointed out some human figures standing in front of a hut outside the rather generous stronghold around a pretty impressive castle. Jensen could easily make out the humans, curtesy of a way superior sight. He knew for a fact that the humans could not make out the dragons on the ledge and if they'd fly away they'd look like birds to a human eye.

"What? Um, which one?"

"Golden hair," Airik elaborated with a smirk. "Think I'll try my luck with her."

Jensen tensed. He wasn't sure he heard right. Slowly he turned his head and his emerald green eyes settled on Airik's ruby ones.

"I must have heard you wrong because that sounded like you are planning on breaking Hjálmarr's rules, dude," he said, a warning vibe in his tone.

"Rules are there to be broken, kiddo," Airik tsked. "It would be a shame never to test out this fine human shape I can transform into." 

With Jensen watching him warily, Airik closed his eyes and his shape became blurry until finally a human male with strawberry blond hair and deeply red eyes stared expectingly at Jensen.

Jensen looked stunned for a moment and then exhaled. "Well, it doesn't matter, Air. It's prohibited. Besides, I don't think I've heard of humans with red eyes. It'd be a dead give-away and Hjálmarr will have your scales."

Airik blinked and the red lizard eyes changed into doe brown human ones.

"You were saying?" He grinned. "Come on, Jensen, be a sport. Haven't you heard the myths about how awesome sex with humans supposedly is? All the old farts are talking about it. Why do we have to lose out on that just because of some age-old quarrels? And it's not like the humans will know I'm a dragon. They won't know it any more than they know when Hjálmarr goes there."

Jensen's eyes narrowed imperceptively. Yeah, he was curious about humans but he took Hjálmarr and his rules seriously. Not that he was a goody-two-shoes. He'd had his share of run-ins with the elders' punishments for disobedience. But there were rules one could bend or break, and there were rules that were untouchable. No interaction with humans whatsoever was one of them.

"Don't do it, Air. Don't force me to stop you. I'm your friend. But that's one rule nobody should mess with. So, please, don't."

Jensen hated the pleading hue of his voice but he was serious. Airik just shook his head. 

"There was a time where you were more fun, kiddo."

Jensen puffed and a small trail of smoke rose from his nostrils. 

"Why is it so important to you? What's so special about your tiny human body?"

"Tiny?" Airik laughed. "Tiny compared to my dragon, yeah, but among humans I doubt I'd be tiny." Airik's reddish blond hair moved with the wind. "Some things are much more fun in human shape. Sex is supposed to be one of those. But also... water."

"Water?" Jensen shuddered. Dragons weren't big fans of water. Their inner fire caused the water to steam up around them, hampering their vision. Jensen had only once been in water, and not of his own accord. He wasn't keen on the experience again. He even loathed flying through rain.

"Yeah... it feels so great when there's no steam around, don't you think?"

Jensen shrugged. He wouldn't know. He'd never stayed in the water long enough for the steam to subside. He wasn't a fan of feeling cold and said as much.

"Nah, kiddo. I'm not talking water and dragon form. You gotta try it in human shape." Airik's eyes were sparkling. "Don't tell me you never tried that."

Jensen shrugged. "I never tried human shape to start with, Air. Let alone human shape and water."

Airik's human mouth fell open. "You're shitting me!"

Jensen shook his head no.

"Are you telling me you don't even know your own human shape?"

"Did I stutter? I said no."

Airik couldn't believe his ears. "No wonder you think this body of mine is tiny. We have to remedy that. Come on, kiddo. Shift. I wanna see how your green eyes look when you're human."

Jensen swallowed hard. He'd never had the urge to shift. The elders were all on about how much trouble humans were that Jensen didn't ever feel like finding out what it would be like. Airik's word did stir up a curiosity inside him, however. After all, shifting into human form was not interacting with humans and thus not forbidden.

"Jensen, c'mon, dude. I wanna see," Airik urged.

Jensen sighed and nodded. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the human bit inside him. The air around him bristled and twisted and Jensen felt an uncontrollable shudder taking over his body. When it subsided, Jensen opened his eyes and blinked.

Instead of black scales that shimmered silverish green, pale pinkish skin on human hands greetes his eyes. Taking stock of himself Jensen saw that everywhere he looked his skin was like that. Pink and soft. He felt vulnerable without his scales and he didn't like the feeling.

On his left thigh there was a white line. A scar. He had the same one on his dragon body from when he'd flown too close to a lightning split fir and sliced his leg deep enough to go through to the skin. He'd been a fledgeling then and had learned the hard way to stay away from sharp edges.

"Wow," Airik exclaimed next to him, drawing Jensen back to the present. He looked up and at his friend who was actually an inch or two shorter than him in human form. "I'm not an expert on human behavior, but I'd say the females would be all over you. You're even taller than me."

"This... feels weird," Jensen uttered in a voice that sounded foreign to him for a moment. "I don't feel safe, Air."

"Not sure you would be," Airik grinned but then sobered. "But yeah, I know what you mean. You'll get used to it. The human body is indeed more resilient than it looks and feels in the beginning. I love how your eyes are the same color as your dragon, kiddo. Looking good."

"I still have dragon eyes?" Jensen blinked furiously. 

"No. Just same color. Mine changes, as you noticed. So... you coming with me then?"

Abruptly Jensen locked eyes with Airik. Then he closed them and willed himself to shift back to his dragon. 

"It's still forbidden, Air. Don't do it."

Airik sighed and shifted back as well. Jensen let out a sigh of relief. 

"Thank you," he said with a tiny smile which Airik didn't reciprocate.

"You can't stop me, Jensen. I'm an adult. I'm my own boss. You just go and dance to Hjálmarr's music, like the kid you are. But I warn you. If you tell on me, I'll hunt you down."

"You're the adult, right. But you act like a spoiled child instead of being responsible. I'm not afraid of you," Jensen replied, feeling the fire in him flaring up.

"No, you are afraid of Hjálmarr. Of an old hide. You should really be afraid of me, though," Airik spat back, eyes flaring red.

"I'm not afraid of him. I respect him. You, on the other hand, are working on making me lose all respect I have for you."

Airik growled and spat a ball of fire at Jensen's feet. Jensen's dragon reacted on instinct, making himself big at the insult.

"I'm sorry you can't see reason," he hissed. Fighting with Airik would serve no purpose and Jensen had the urge to get back to their realm. Maybe then his friend would be reasonable again. Jensen turned, ready to fly.

"You have no idea how sorry you'll be," Airik said coldly which made Jensen turn his head back at him. A moment later a searing pain engulfed the right side of his skull as Airik's muscular, spiked tail swung around, connecting like a whip. 

Jensen roared, pain and rage at the unexpected attack flooding his system. Facing the red eyed dragon once more he was vaguely aware of droplets of crimson silverish blood running from a nasty wound at his chin and mixing with the dust on the ground. His blood was boiling as his temper flared at the cowardish act and he launched himself at the other dragon.

Airik was shocked, both because Jensen was still standing and that he was fighting back and took to the air immediately. Once more two sleek, black forms were chasing through the air, but whereas earlier on it was fun, it now was bitter pursuit. 

Jensen was hot on the tail of his adversary and Airik was doing his utmost to get an enraged Jensen off his back, twisting sideways, looping backwards and changing altitude abruptly. Whatever the older dragon tried was matched by Jensen. Airik dove down close to the cliff, over the edge and following the rock as part of his cover. 

Constantly gaining on Airik, defying all odds, Jensen finally managed to get a hold of the other dragon. Airik was thrown off his path and Jensen pounced on the opportunity. He got a good grip with his talons on Airik and they grappled mid flight. 

A pain filled shriek disrupted the air as Jensen dragged his razor sharp talons over Airik's side, leaving three deep, bleeding gashes. The older dragon twisted and managed to get free, if just for a moment. It was enough however to whip his spiked tail in the general direction of Jensen. By sheer luck his aim was spot on and Jensen was accelerated into an oncoming angle in the cliffs. He had no time think or adjust his body to avoid contact with the solid rock and collided hard enough to send a shockwave of pain through his head, down his spine all the way to the tip of his tail.

Jensen's vision was clouded as pain and confusion reverberated in his skull and he felt himself falling. Squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to clear his vision, Jensen opened them to a carussel of landscape rushing by. It took him a moment to realize it was because he was spiralling down alongside the vertical cliffs, gaining momentum every second.

The unrelenting ground was rushing closer and Jensen briefly wondered how it would feel when he crashed. Would it hurt at all? He didn't really want to find out so he willed his body to obedience and managed to spread his leathery wings only margins before the point of no return. Gliding was all he could do and he managed the twist he needed to change his downward fall into gliding along the ground only meters before impact. 

Reeling along the smooth rock Jensen prepared for landing but his movements were still off and one wing touched the ground making him flip over and tumble out of control along the hard surface until a rocky outcrop stopped him abruptly. His head hurt. His whole body hurt. Jensen wasn't sure how long it took him to get his eyelids to cooperate and lift them into tiny slits, but when he managed he was assaulted by way too bright light which was quickly followed by complete darkness.

 

***

 

Airik had taken to higher altitudes when he'd felt his tail connect with Jensen's body, intent on getting back up on the ledge to check on the damage Jensen had caused. From up above he watched Jensen dropping like a stone. His first sentiment was satisfaction and he pushed down whatever worry surfaced when he felt the vicious burning of his side.

He watched as Jensen seemed to take control of his fall and evened out his flight way below, close to the surface. When the younger dragon tumbled and crashed into the rock, Airik smirked. It served Jensen right. He hoped his body ached for days to come.

Commotion from further away made Airik survey the human settlement. He realized that their fight had not gone unnoticed and now a group of humans were making their way to where Jensen was lying unmoving. 

Airik knew that if the humans managed to take Jensen captive, Hjálmarr would free the dragon one way or another. Which then would end with Jensen telling Airik's intentions to the elders. That was something Airik really didn't need. He watched how the humans cautiously approached the other dragon, who still seemed to be unconscious. Jensen must have hit his head hard.

An idea formed in Airik's head. The other dragons were going to ask about Jensen's whereabouts when he returned alone. Telling the truth would result in a rescue mission and inevidable punishment for him, unless...

Unless he'd tell Hjálmarr that he, Airik, had tried to keep Jensen from interacting with the humans. Unless he'd tell them he fought Jensen to the blood to keep him from going to the humans. It'd explain his wounds and would make sure nobody would try to help Jensen get back. Airik smirked and took to the air.

 

***

 

Jensen woke to a flickering light, which didn't do much to illuminate his surroundings. His whole body was sore and his head was throbbing, especially the wound on his chin. Hushed whispering filled the chamber and he blinked in order to clear his vision and focus on something that wasn't flickering.

"It moved," a rather high pitched, young sounding voice overlay the whispering. Jensen sat up and willed down the excess noise in his head to take in his whereabouts. His eyes adjusted quickly to semi darkness and he surveyed the chamber. It was about half the size of his cave in their realm and three sides were made of solid looking stone walls. The forth side consisted of tree limb thick metal bars about a foot apart. Enough space for Jensen to stick his head through but not much more.

On the other side of the bars there were half a dozen humans. Five burly, bulky males about the height of Jensen's human form. And one... fledgeling? A tiny male who only about reached the other men's hips in height. His hazel eyes were wide, staring at Jensen in mesmerized awe. Jensen cocked his head sideways and stared back.

"Right then, Gerald. It's alive. Doesn't look like it's hurt too badly. Take good care of it so we will have it a long time for harvesting its blood. We shall be invincible to our enemies as long as we have this blood."

"Yes, Mylord," the man called Gerald replied.

"Take turns guarding him with Edward and Thorald. It must not perish. But stay clear of the fire breath. The walls can withstand it, but not us. Not even with the blood's protection."

With that the humans turned to leave, including the one called Ģerald and his fledgeling. Jensen was alone. And he knew he had to get out of this place sooner rather than later. When all surrounding noises had ceased, Jensen went on to test his prison.

His fire only blackened the stone walls. The granite was far from melting and Jensen realized that was not his way out. The bars. The metal looked less solid but when Jensens fireball reached it, the bars repelled the heat. Just like Jensen's scales did. He realized that the humans must have coated the bars with dragon balm. Dragon balm was a paste dragons made from shedded scales and used it to fire proof their lairs and caves.

Having already established that he'd only be able to stick his head through the bars, squeezing through was not an option. Unless he could minimize his size. His human form should be able to squeeze through rather easily. There was still no sound outside his prison so Jensen decided he had to take the chance. Closing his eyes, he once again felt the air around him bristle and twist, and when it stopped and he opened his eyes, Jensen saw pale skin instead of black scales.

Taking a deep breath, he walked up to the bars and moved one bare foot on the other side. To fit his torso he'd have to make contact with the bars. The second his skin touched the coated metal however, Jensen screamed. His body was on fire and felt like he'd been struck by a lightning bolt. He twitched and fell backwards, muscles cramping up in agony. He hardly felt the cool rocky ground under his bare skin before the agony became to much and he passed out.

Gerald came rushing to the chamber when he'd heard the agonized screams. He half expected the dragon trashing the walls with its powerful tail or bending the bars with the power of its forearms. Instead, it lay still in the middle of the chamber, eyes closed but body twitching like being hooked up to electricity. Its one leg was touching the metal and Gerald used a wooden spear to shove the limb inside the cell. Slowly the shaking of the beast subsided and eventually it lay still. Only the gentle rise and fall of its scaled chest indicating that it was still alive.

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

_**15 years later...** _

 

It was just after the first rays of the morning sun hit the compact dirt ground in front of the stone steps that were leading down to the dungeon where they kept the dragon that Jared walked down those steps, a sheep carcass slung over his shoulder. He staggered a bit under the dead weight but composed himself quickly. 

For the past year, ever since he'd turned eighteen, he'd taken over the task of guarding the black dragon they had locked in there when he was a little boy. He had been told the mighty beast crashed to the ground and was knocked out, and it took five wagons and fifty men and horses to get it where it was now. Safely locked in a granit cobblestone cell and guarded by balmed dragon steel.

Jared remembered that his father had been chosen to guard it and his four year old self had pestered him long enough just to get a glimpse at the beast. So his father had taken him down to the dungeon, along with a few extra men and Jared had been in awe. He had been there when the black dragon had opened its emerald green eyes and he had been a bit scared when it looked straight at him. Scared and mesmerized.

Stepping in front of the bars, Jared dropped the carcass on the ground before him. The dragon was curled up on the floor, resting, and just opened one tired eye to check what the commotion was about. 

"Hey there, Scales," Jared greeted. The dragon just blinked at him and then proceeded to close its eyes once more. "Got some chow for you so be nice and let me shove it in, alright?"

The dragon just puffed out some smoke through his nostrils. Jared frowned. He'd been feeding the beast alone for a while now and always got the impression that Scales, as he had named the dragon because of his impressive black shimmering scales, was looking forward to chow time. Today, he just seemed listless.

Jared's gaze traveled over the dragon's massive body, that was stuffed into a much too small dungeon, and came to rest on the gaping wound in the hip area that was still oozing glittering blood. So they had done it again. No wonder Scales was looking dispondent. Jared snorted in disgust. He knew what his people needed dragon blood for. He knew King Henry was suffering from a mysterious illness that the doctors tried to cure with an insane amount of dragon blood magic. But it still made him mad. Scales was a living being and Jared admired the dragon.

"Did they do it again?" Jared growled. Scales opened his eyes again and looked at the sheep. "Yeah, hold on. I'll get it inside now."

Lifting the carcass once more, Jared worked it through the bars and let it drop inside.

"You know, I do know about dragon blood magic and I see why King Henry is keeping you here. But there's just so much that can be done and with him being sick I worry they'll drain you dry and he'll still be... unwell. And at any rate, if they let you perish over trying to save the king, he'll perish anyways cos it's not like there's another dragon at their disposal..."

Scales kinked his head sideways as he regarded a rambling Jared. Then he gathered his strength and blew a flame over the sheep before devouring it with two bites.

"... and I mean, what they're getting from your blood can be made with herbs and minerals as well, only it'll take more effort to fabricate. And more time."

Jared paused and looked at the dragon. Big green eyes looked back at him but they looked dull.

"I wish I could just let you out of this crappy cell, Scales. But only the king has a key. And you're just too big to fit through these bars."

Jared paused. For a moment when he said that it seemed like the dragon's eyes grew wide and flashed with anger. Or maybe fear? Jared wasn't certain. It would be the first time there was an indication that Scales understood what he said to him.

"Did you just...?" Jared trailed off and shook his head. The idea was silly. Yes, dragons were sentient beings, but where would they have come across Jared's language? Maybe they just communicated telepathically or so. "Nevermind."

From outside the dungeon Jared heard hectic voices and commotion, people running and shouting. Curious, he turned to the stairs and left.

Jensen watched the boy leave. Or maybe he was a man now. Not like Jensen knew how humans determined adulthood. But he did know that he had to get out if this prison now more than ever. He could feel the effects of the perpetual blood loss and it made him feel weak. When in the beginning the humans would only incapacitate him with dragon steel - like the bars to his prison - about thrice a year, it was almost thrice a week now. The blood loss itself as well as the constant feeling of being tasered - because dragon steel had that effect on him - left him hurting.

The wound around the scale on his hip, that they always reopened to get his blood, didn't even heal over anymore, despite his advanced self-healing abilities. He felt lethargic and knew despite him being fed regularly he was loosing mass. 

Maybe he should try to fit his human form through the bars again. If he'd lost mass in dragon form, it could also transfer onto the human shape he had. And if he was really careful...

A massive explosion outside his dungeon shook the compound and the shouting outside increased. Dirt trickled down the granit walls and ceiling, covering his scales in dust and making his wound itch. Just what was going on outside?

Several more bangs, like canonballs striking, resounded in varying distances and intervals. For a moment Jensen had been wondering if the compound was under dragon attack, but if Hjálmarr hadn't come for him in the past fifteen years, he certainly wouldn't start now. Also, dragons usually wouldn't drop missiles or similar onto a settlement. They'd just let it go up in flames.

A deafening bang hit the dungeon and Jensen felt smaller pieces of rock falling onto him, bouncing off the scales like raindrops. Just when Jensen was wondering when the whole structure would cave in, another missile hit the dungeon, tearing down the one corner of his prison, effectively letting dust dance in the rays of sunlight that now entered the otherwise semidark room.

Jensen's tail was pinned by a few bigger cobbles but a decent tug freed the appendix. Green eyes examined the hole in the ceiling and top of one wall. It was decent sized, but definitely not big enough for a dragon to squeeze through. Jensen could see the sky above now that the dust had settled. Sporadic shouts would be heard on the outside but nothing like the shouting that marked the beginning of the attack. Then a victorious howling filled the otherwise silent air and Jensen listened intently.

"We got the king! Victory is ours! Take as many subjects of Henry prisoner for the king is dead!"

"Hail Oswine!" Several voices cried simultaneously.

"And keep an eye out for that dragon he claimed he has. If there is such a beast, imagine what we could do with it."

Jensen perched his head up. That didn't sound good. He was fed up being locked in and milked for his blood and what not. Now there was a life line, a hole in his prison's walls. And beyond...? More walls. 

"Hell no," Jensen mumbled. But the hole was narrow and he was like a sitting duck. There was just one way out. And that meant he had to shift. Something he hadn't done in fifteen years.

"Spread out, search everywhere. A beast like a dragon is not that easy to hide." 

That was it. He wouldn't sit here and let the humans stomp all over him again. Jensen closed his eyes and puffed some smoke through his nostrils before the air swirled around him and he felt fuzzy until finally it stopped. 

Jensen shivered. There were no scales on his body now to shield him and the sensation was as foreign to him as the first time he shifted. Taking a deep breath, Jensen flexed his hands. It was time to move. Slowly he began climbing up the rubble towards the gaping hole. Towards freedom.

When the dragon finally stuck his head out of the ruins, he squinted against the glare of the sunlight. Once his eyes had adjusted to the brightness he scanned the area. Jensen had never seen the compound and castle his captors lived in. But now all there was to see was rubble, burning beams and bodies strewn all over.

In the distance a few humans were searching through the rubble for valuables and survivors... and a dragon. Jensen decided to quit wasting time and pushed himself up and out of the hole. As he pulled up his right leg, the wound on his hip, that was still oozing glittering blood, protested painfully. He gritted his teeth and completed the movement. Then he dropped low and searched out a caved in part of the massive town wall where he could climb through to leave the dreaded compound.

Finally taking cover in the lush grass under the trees he'd seen, Jensen noticed a still human form just a few steps away. He stared, trying to determine whether or not the human was alive. A quite contrary thought however entered his head when he took in the clothes on the man. Dragons never wore clothes. Humans however always did. At least each human Jensen had encountered had concealed his body with these garments.

Sighing, Jensen crawled over to the fallen man. His shirt was ruined, soaked in blood and torn to shreds. The leg pants however looked still decent. Undressing the man took Jensen a bit. He was not used to tangle with clothing. In the end he'd managed to pull up and fasten the pants on his hips. It burned a bit where the material covered the open wound on Jensen's hip but it effectively hid it from any people he might encounter.

Following the wall from the treeline, Jensen aimed to get to the other side, far away from the tempting area his realm was situated at. Jensen had considered shifting back and flying off. But his gut told him that neither Hjálmarr nor Airik would be happy to see him again. They'd cast him out. So why bother going there. No. He had to blend in with the humans, whether he liked it or not.

A couple yards onwards Jensen suddenly dropped to the ground. His dragon senses tingled and he kept as still as the bodies he'd walked over so far. Only one eye he kept open in a tiny slit. A face appeared behind the wall, glancing over. Searching. Scrutinizing. Jensen held his breath.

"Anything, Artus?"

The man looking over the wall turned his head.

"Nay. Only more bodies. Certainly no gold. And no dragon either."

With that the face disappeared once more and Jensen realized his heart was racing a hundred miles an hour. This was too close for comfort. After a few minutes had passed, Jensen carefully pulled himself up to his human height. This Artus had mentioned bodies. Sure enough about twelve meters before him, there was another still human shape. As Jensen warily approached, he noticed the man's leg was shattered under some kind of stone made ball but his shirt seemed intact and mostly devoid of blood. 

Eventually Jensen was dressed, torso and legs covered. He still felt more naked than ever before however, for the human body had remarkably little weapon like features. Sure, he had teeth. And nails. But they were nothing compared to the dragon teeth and claws and Jensen wasn't sure he knew how to fight as a human. He needed a weapon as powerful as his dragon's spiked tail. Because that was missing altogether in his human form.

Searching the dead human's body, Jensen produced a knife from the pants' pocket. He regarded it with sharp eyes and decided it'd have to do. He still needed to get to the northern side of the structure to get away and see how he'd survive as a human. 

The sun was baking on Jensen relentlessly and he found that his newly acquired clothes just couldn't protect him from the heat the way his scales could. Scales. The mere thought of them made Jensen wonder what happened to the young guard of his. Jared. He'd been the only human he had encountered that had shown some form of respect and compassion towards him.

Jensen didn't have to wonder for long because only a few steps further he stumbled across another human body. A body with familiar features and long brown floppy hair. Without hesitation Jensen bent down and turned the human over. There was a nasty looking cut, like made from a stone splinter at high velocity, across Jared's forehead but Jensen was positive it was his young guard. And he was positive the young man was alive, too. Just knocked out. At least at first sight Jensen couldn't make out any other noteworthy injuries.

"Rodene, Artus, we have enough prisoners. The dragon story was a bust. But at least we have about fifty work slaves now. We can't fit anymore into our barracks. Make sure everyone else you find is dead. And stays that way."

"As you wish, Lord Oswine," the voice belonging to the man called Artus replied.

Jensen frowned. He had no intention of getting into closer contact with any humans but if he left Jared there, he'd end up being slaughtered. Jared was the only human that ever cared about him. Jensen knew that. He also knew the risks he was taking when his heart decided to save the young man. He'd help him heal and then be on his way. He owed Jared as much.

Stuffing two fingers down the right side of his newly acquired pants, Jensen coated them in his blood and the smeared the crimson glittering fluid into the wound on Jared's forehead. The enzymes in it would fight any infection and rallye up the healing agents in Jared's own system. As soon as it was quiet, Jensen slung Jared's limp form over his shoulders and marched on. When he finally found shelter in a half cavern along the massive that had been on the horizon of the compound when he'd started, all Jensen could do was set Jared down as gently as possible and then fall over next to him, completely exhaused.


	3. Chapter 3

Jared woke up to a mildly throbbing head and warm rays of sun on his face. He felt a bit fuzzy but oddly enough the rest of his body didn't hurt. The last thing Jared's brain came up with was storming from Scales' dungeon to see people running around panicked, rocks the size of a man or bigger bombarding the buildings. Through a gaping hole in the town's wall he glimpsed a contraption like a giant slingshot launching even more rocks and he knew he had to get out of there.

A second he had considered taking shelter in Scales' dungeon as it was partially underground and had walls thick enough to withstand some dragon forces. Then he'd thought of his father, the only family he had left, and weaved his way through the human and rocky obstacles to find him.

When he'd heard his name shouted he'd looked up and saw several of his friends escaping the carnage through the ruined wall. Jared realized getting out could be the only way to stay alive, especially as he noticed strange soldiers capturing every person that was still moving. So he'd turned and followed his friends. He hadn't gotten far however, when the whirring of the air on his left had be the only warning of a fist sized rock rushing at him. It had hit him full on and Jared had crashed to the ground. The last thing he'd felt before surrendering to the darkness had been the trickle of his own warm blood trickling down his cheeks.

Blinking, Jared pushed up onto his elbows and gingerly felt around his face where the rock had caught him. There was no blood and no gash that had recently been split open. Only the slightly raised, tender skin of a scar forming above his eyebrow told him he hadn't imagined the attack. But if his wound was already scarring, just how long had he been out? His head was still throbbing like it had only recently happened. Things didn't really make sense.

Sitting up, Jared looked around and found that he had no idea where he was nor how he got there. The landscape was only vaguely familiar and slightly blurry, once more contradicting the advanced healing state of his head wound. Jared realized he was lying on some gathered foliage that was covered with a torn shirt and sheltered by a dip in the mountainside that was shaped almost cave like.

After slowly getting to his feet, Jared's nose picked up the faint smell of smoke and barbecued meat. His stomach rumbled and Jared decided to follow his nose. Turning the corner of the cave, he stopped dead in his tracks, hand reaching out to support himself against the rock.

A few steps ahead of him, a young man, barely older than himself if he wasn't mistaken, was crouching by a fire, grilling meat on a stick. Jared squinted slightly, taking in the stranger's appearance. His skin was fair with light freckles decorating his face. The brown hair was short and spiky and sticking up in a thousand different directions. His jawline was razor sharp and there was a scar running along most of his chin. When Jared looked up he found himself staring into bright green eyes. He didn't know that man and he knew everyone in his community. Confusion spread through his body.

"Who... uhm," Jared croaked and cleared his throat. "Who are you?"

Instead of an answer the stranger picked up a piece of grilled meat and offered it to him. It smelled delicious and Jared felt saliva pooling in his mouth. He was really hungry, but he didn't allow himself to give in and trust the man. Swallowing, he ignored the offer.

"Do you have a name? Why did your people attack Rocastle? What happened to my friends?"

The stranger withdrew the meat - chicken by the looks of it - and cocked his head.

"Rocastle?"

His voice sounded rough, like it hadn't been used in ages. And yet the voice sounded full and pleasant.

"Come on, dude. The place where I live at. Or lived at. I doubt you left anything intact, did you? What is it that we had that the people from James' Burrow wanted?"

The stranger stared for a moment and then shook his head with caution. 

"I'm not from James' Burrow," he simply replied and took a bite from the chicken.

Jared narrowed his eyes. If the man spoke the truth and he was not part of the attack, where would he be from. He wasn't a Rocastle resident, Jared was sure of it. He knew all the people from his community. And he was sure he'd never seen that man. He'd remember such rugged beauty. Jared decided to try a different approach.

"How did I get here? And when?"

The golden brown haired man finished chewing and swallowed his food. 

"I carried you. Yesterday."

"You carried me," Jared repeated, looking the stranger up and down. He was by all means no small man, albeit a bit on the skinny side, but Jared knew his six foot four inch frame was solid muscle and definitely not easy to carry for one man. And considering he only barely recognized where about he was, it meant the man had carried him for quite a while. The stranger just looked at him blankly and took another bite of the chicken. Jared's stomach rumbled. Wordlessly, the other man offered him a piece of chicken once more and this time Jared accepted.

He took a few bites, forcing himself to chew thoroughly and not wolf the food down. His thoughts were revolving around what the stranger had said the whole time over the course of his meal. Suddenly, Jared froze mid chew. A few moments later he abruptly directed his gaze on the stranger again.

"Yesterday?"

Green eyes looked up from watching the fire and he shrugged.

"Yes."

"No, that... that can't be right," Jared frowned. As before, the other man cocked his head in a silent question. "I got wounded. A cut, on my eyebrow. I... I remember the blood running down my face. I should have a wound, barely scabbed over but...," he ran his fingers over the fresh scar again. "This feels like it's about a week old. You can't have carried me here yesterday, dude."

"I did," the man shrugged.

"How? I mean... how do you explain that? It can't be possible."

"I had some dragon blood," the stranger supplied softly.

"Dragon blood?" Jared parroted. That would explain the progressed state of healing. But where had he gotten that from?  The man seemed to anticipate his question.

"One of the bodies I came across had a small vial with dragon blood on him. I was searching for a weapon."

"Oh, okay," Jared nodded. "Wait, so you were there during the attack."

"I am not from James' Burrow," the man repeated.

"You're from the Plains, then?"

Jared's opposition raised an eyebrow.

"Living in the Plains between kingdoms?"

The man considered this for a moment and then nodded.

"Yes. I saw what happened. I wanted to help."

"Right. So why did you bring me here?"

"They butchered everyone. I saved you. Does it matter why?"

"It does to me," Jared replied. 

The other man got up and walked to the edge of the ledge they were resting on, looking down. Jared's eyes never left his broad shoulders.

"You needed help," he said with a shrug.

Jared exhaled rather noisily, drawing a curious confused look from his counterpart. He was getting a bit frustrated. What had happened? Why had they been attacked? Who was the man that saved him? Why did he save him? As in, why him and not someone else? And why did that man treat words like snakes? And, also very pressing in Jared's conscious, what was happening to his home now? Were there any survivors? Did the Burrow people really kill everyone they didn't take prisoner? Jared knew he'd have to see for himself.

"I'll have to go back. See if I can find my father. And my friends," he stated between bites of perfectly grilled chicken.

The stranger tilted his head again, forehead creasing in... disapproval? Jared raised one eyebrow and swallowed. 

"Gonna come with me?"

Putting the stick with the last bit of grilled chicken down for Jared to take, the other man got up and walked a few steps away. Jared watched him, at a loss for what it meant. The man shrugged in a 'suit yourself' gesture. Jared sighed.

"I take it you won't come along then."

"No reason to," his rescuer simply replied.

"Right. And no reason to tell me your name, eh?"

Jared got up and looked into the direction of where his home should be on the horizon. Just how far had that man carried him? His decision was final. He was grateful for the rescue but he had to see what happened. To his father, his friends. And to Scales. Was the dragon still locked up? Wounded? Killed? Escaped?

"Alright then," he said, turning around to face the stranger once more. "Thank you for your help, for saving me."

Jared started walking down the rocky surface. After a few steps he heard the other man talk.

"Jensen."

Jared stopped and turned. "What?"

"My name is Jensen," was the reply. And then Jensen sat down cross legged at the fire and focused on stoking it. Jared hesitated a moment.

"Okay," he then nodded and started walking. He wasn't sure why he was half waiting for Jensen to call him back or join him. But when he glanced over his shoulder a few steps on Jensen was still focused on the fire.

 

***

 

After walking for two hours Jared finally recognized his surroundings. The walls of his community weren't far off now. The tiny jolt of excitement he felt in his heart was crushed a moment later when Jared almost fell over the first body.

A middle aged man that Jared knew was a worker out in the field stared at him with empty eyes, chest a bloodied mess from a clear slash to his throat. Jared gaped for a few seconds and then his stomach rebelled. Turning sideways he emptied every last bit of its contents and his head was feeling fuzzy.

Jared knew in his heart Jensen had been right. That he would come across more and more bodies the further he walked. But as much as Jared wanted to turn and run away, he had to find out about his father. And the dragon. He wiped his sleeved arm across his mouth and then marched on, glancing at the slaughtered people only long enough to make sure it wasn't his father.

An hour later Jared collapsed on the rubble at the edge of the damaged cell that had held Scales, thoroughly exhausted and defeated. He hadn't found his father, which didn't mean much. No stone was where it had been and the man could just as well be buried underneath a collapsed building. He'd found a few of his friends, all dead and mangled and salvaged a decorated knife from one of the bodies. 

The dungeon was a riddle for Jared. It was damaged alright, the original entrance caved in. The side wall was partially damaged but the hole in it should not have been big enough to let Scales squeeze through. But there was no trace of the mighty beast. Jared only hoped that meant Scales was free, not a captive of James' Burrow.

 

***

 

Jensen watched Jared's retreating form from the corner of his eye. If the human felt the need to return to the place of carnage so be it. It was none of his business. He himself had no desire for human company. Jared's request for companionship posed no temptation. Jensen knew he was stuck in his human shape as there was no way he'd return to the dragon realm where he was obviously neither missed nor wanted. 

About an hour after Jared had left, Jensen decided that maybe it would be a wise thing to find a human settlement and study them from afar. His only knowledge about human behavior came from watching his guards. As much as he was determined to generally stay away from humans, Jensen was aware he'd have to interact once in a while, to get hold of tools and clothes, if not food. So, knowing which direction Jared had left, Jensen decided to follow at a safe distance. If there was one human that didn't mean him harm, it was Jared.

Jensen found that moving without carrying a passed out human was going a lot easier and despite being locked up in small confinements for over a decade, his muscles still remembered to work tirelessly, regardless of their human shape. He'd brought Jared to the cliffs for he knew there'd be caves and that's all he'd needed to make himself feel whole somewhat. Jensen hadn't even realized what kind of a distance he had covered. Now, after about half the trip back, Jensen slowed from his jog, deciding he was close enough to expect coming across humans.

What he didn't expect was coming across Jared again so soon. He'd barely walked about five minutes when he heard footsteps up ahead and stopped dead, momentarily not sure whether to stay or hide. Then he saw a dark brown mop of hair between the flat boulders at the crossroads and relaxed. 

When Jared noticed Jensen, he stopped for a moment. Then he shook his head furiously and headed straight for the other man.

"What by the heavens did those heathens do to my friends? They fucking slaughtered them!"

Jared was standing right in front of Jensen, breathing heavily in anger and grief.

"Told you so," Jensen replied evenly and stepped back a bit. Jared gave a mirthless laugh.

"Yeah you sure did. I... just can't believe that was humans who did that. Senseless killing." He walked left and right in front of Jensen until he stopped again. "You don't know by any chance what happened to the dragon?"

"The dragon?" Jensen froze momentarily. 

"Yeah, there was a big black dragon in a dungeon. Silvery tinge to the scales, green lizard eyes. The cell is damaged but I still don't understand how he got out. Or how they got him out. Geez I hope those bastards didn't get their hands on him." Jared ran a hand through his hair.

"I have seen no dragon," Jensen replied sincerely.

"I... that's good, I think. Listen, I get it, you're not a big talker, but there's nothing to do in Rocastle. Nothing to salvage. I will head over to Rothír's Creek and see if I can become part of their community. What are you going to do?"

Jensen blinked his eyes. He had no idea where this place Jared had mentioned was. But he knew wherever it was, he was not ready to live full time among humans. 

"Go back to the... planes," he then said, recalling where Jared had assumed he'd be from.

"Oh," Jared grunted, sounding somewhat disappointed but not surprised. "Alright then. I guess this is where we will part ways then. Again, thank you for saving my life. I believe if you hadn't carried me away I'd now be just another mangled body sprawled in the ruins. Do take care, Jensen."

Jared nodded at the man and carried on his way, taking the inland bound path, heading away from his ruined home and the road to the caves. Jensen let Jared walk a good while before following at a safe distance. He'd know if Jared took a turn. The smell sensitive glands of a dragon's tongue also worked in human shape. Finally Jensen licked his lips and set off.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Staying well out of sight, Jensen had followed Jared until they reached the protective fence of Jared's destination - Rothír's Creek - after about a day and a half of walking. Jensen was certain he could have covered that distance in dragon form in less than half the time but since his natural form wasn't an option, he had to get used to walking on his human feet.

When Jared camped for the night on the first day of the trip, Jensen watched the man with curiosity. Since he'd never been in human form before, but for the brief moment before he'd been captured, he knew next to nothing about sustaining a human body. Roasting the chicken had been on instinct and Jensen had just managed to make sure there was a fire burning when Jared woke up. Freshly grilled chicken with no fire around would have been suspicious. Jensen also learned that grilling meat over an open flame as a human required tools. His hands weren't protected by heat repelling scales in human form.

As Jared built up his shelter, Jensen watched fervently. Jared walked a small distance to the creek they'd more or less followed to get water. On the way he picked leaves and berries and used flint stones he had in his pouch to make a small fire. Jensen wasn't ready to give away his presence and tried to copy Jared when his stomach growled. Not knowing what to look for he picked a few leaves and tentatively tested their taste. The first ones he spat out almost immediately until he finally came across something that actually tasted pleasantly. He also picked some berries but soon found out that not all were edible. Luckily his instinct was intact and anything bitter tasting was discarded.

Jensen was wishing for meat, however. Chicken, lamb, goat, warthog... anything. He told himself once Jared reached Rothír's Creek he would make sure he'd have a decent feeding. Jared slept by the fire, his hand curled around the handle of his knife all through the night. 

The human body was so inferior, Jensen found. He was cold at night, had no protection from thermal events or any kind of attacks or falls. His skin was soft and his feet were aching slightly from walking on rubble, dirt and twigs with nothing hardened for protection. On the other hand Jensen found he could do things with his hands that he couldn't do in dragon form. It would be a steep learning process but Jensen was determined to pick up enough not to stick out. Not that he longed for company. Especially not human company. Hjalmárr had been right. There was nothing to be gained from humans. 

All Jensen wanted to do was making sure Jared got to where he wanted to be safely. Jensen wasn't quite sure why he wanted that. It just felt right as Jared, unlike his other guards, really had shown he cared about his welfare. It's why he saved him. And it was why he wanted to make sure he reached his new home in one piece. Afterwards, Jensen would keep his distance, maybe even far enough to change into dragon form once in a while. He needed to build his own little realm.

Rothír's Creek was different than Rocastle, where Jared grew up. Jensen didn't know much about the place since all he saw was the inside of his cell and the ruins after the attack. But he knew most buildings had been made of stone and rock. Rothír's Creek was situated in a flat, wooded area that was mostly sustained by the creek running alongside it. There was no wall made of thick boulders but more like a wooden stake fence with sharpened tips, most likely to keep any predators out, as Jensen assumed.

A single, bored looking guard was at the eastern opening in the fence when Jared arrived. They talked briefly and the guard pointed Jared in a specific direction. As Jared followed these directions, Jensen kept himself hidden in the cover of the trees. He lost sight of the young man quickly. 

Wanting to keep track of the human until he was sure he was safe, Jensen wished he could just shift to dragon and hover above the trees to see what was going on. In his human form, though, flying was not an option. The trees, however, caught Jensen's attention. Or rather, a squirrel climbing in the trees did.

Jensen looked at his hands and wondered if he could just do just what the squirrel did and climb up. He was sure he could see into the settlement from up there. Moving along the treeline for a bit, Jensen picked a sturdy looking oak that was well out of the line of sight of the bored guard. He grabbed a thick branch just above his head. Surprise at what his hands felt, made him let go again. He stared at his palms and wondered how the tree could feel cold, hard and rough, completely different from the ground or the grass, the clothes and the chicken. Also different from his human body, which felt warm and soft. Jensen realized he'd have to learn a lot more about himself and human behavior if he wanted to not draw attention in case he couldn't avoid contact with humans.

Grabbing the branch once more, Jensen pulled himself up and used his legs to get on top of the branch. He peered at the settlement and found that he needed to get higher to really see something. So he reached out to a forked branch an arm's length above him and kept climbing. Soon, he had made it to a height that allowed him to look around.

He saw humans going about whatever their business was. There were many huts, some bigger, some smaller, and people were moving in and out of some while others seemed to be only for certain groups. Horses were hitched on constructions in front of a hut or running free inside a fenced up area. There were pens for goats and sheep, some free roaming chicken and in the central spot of the compound there was a well. 

Jared was nowhere to be seen so Jensen kept on taking in everything he could. He realized he'd need to find some shelter - that's what the huts were for - but the area Rothír's Creek was situated in held no chances of finding a cave. The land was flat and full of vegetation and the humans seemed to use the trees for building material a lot. 

There was a hut right below by the fence and Jensen was making use of the superior sight of a dragon to scrutinze everything about it that he could from his position. He might need to try and build a hut for himself and didn't have the first idea how to accomplish it.

Finally he spotted Jared exiting a hut in the company of a shorter man who seemed to show him around before leading him towards a hut on the far side of the settlement. Jensen watched on for a few moments until his rumbling stomach reminded him that a few berries and what not just didn't fill a dragon's stomach just like a goat would - even if it was human sized now. 

Climbing down Jensen withdrew a good distance into the woods, looking for a good spot to try and build his hut. Or at least some kind of shelter. And find some food, preferably protein. Looking at his hands, Jensen was trying to figure out how best to accomplish all this. Catching live food with no talons would prove a challenge, especially when you weren't used to it.

 

*****

 

Jared dropped his bundle of belongings, the little he had been able to salvage and bring, into the hut that Eoin, the appointed leader of Rothír's Creek, had lead him to. It was to serve as a temporary shelter, until the council had decided if he could stay and thus build his own place.

So far he liked the place alright, although he couldn't fully subdue the feeling of loss the second his thoughts went back to Rocastle. His family was gone. His friends were gone. At least it seemed that Scales got away. Jared wondered about that. Where would the dragon go? Back home where he had come from all those years back?

He had just finished arranging his humble  belongings when Eoin returned and offered to show him around. He informed him that Jared would be able to help out with the blacksmith's to earn his keep. Jared had no idea if being a blacksmith would be for him but he was willing to try and learn.

The blacksmith's name was Douglas. He was almost a head shorter than Jared and had flaming red hair,  thick beard and blue eyes. He scrutinized the newcomer for a moment, listening to Eoin's instructions and then grabbed a heavy looking hammer. Weighing it in his hand for a moment he then tossed it over to Jared without warning.

Out of reflex Jared caught the tool and luckily gripped it tight because the hammer was really heavy. He stared at it for a moment before holding it out to Douglas in an offering. Douglas searched out eye contact with Jared and then gave s minuscule smile before nodding curtly.

"He will do fine," Douglas grunted in Eoin's direction.

"I hoped you would say that," Eoin replied and then patted Jared's shoulder. "How about I show you the rest of this place and then you meet up again with Douglas and let him introduce you into the art of forging tools, horseshoes and weapons."

"Great. That sounds great," Jared smiled.

"If you're back here in about an hour I can introduce you to a traveling salesman I aquire dragon balm from. It really does wonders to anything we could ever forge," Douglas announced.

"That sounds like a splendid idea, Douglas," Eoin smiled. "Maybe, with Jared's help it will soon be possible to reinforce our fence with metal elements."

"I'd be happy to help. Anything to repay you for taking me in," Jared replied.

"Ah, we're not quite there yet, but I'm sure you'll pass the trial time," Eoin responded. "Now come on, Iet's not dawdle. Eric won't be too long."

Eoin turned and motioned for Jared to follow. Jared caught up with him quickly. 

"Eric?"

"That's the merchant Douglas gets the balm from," Eoin defined for Jared's benefit.

"Ah. I see." 

Douglas was headed to an area where sizeable open huts were arranged in a semicircle. 

"Right, over here we have our market," he explained. "Everyone brings their produce here to swap or sell for something the others made or picked or bred. We mainly just trade amongst ourselves. Only strangers to our community buy our goods and we use that money to pay traveling merchants like Eric."

Jared took in the huts, the people and the things they offered for trade. It looked like a very sensible set up for everyone and he was looking forward to becoming a part of it all.

 

*****

 

By the time the sun began to set, Jensen had managed to set up a circular structure of tree limbs he had collected from all around the secluded little place he'd located. It was far enough from the village to be sure there wouldn't be humans snooping around all the time but not too far to reach the place within half an hour of traveling on human feet.

Stepping back to take in his work, Jensen shook his head. It would do for now but somehow he didn't feel it would be a safe place for a dragon not used to be without his scales. His eyes moves up the sturdy, solid trees around him and his fingers itched to get to the top and look around. He'd have a good view from up there. Maybe he could find an area not too far off that held caves or other possibilities of shelter.

Approaching the tallest tree, Jensen searched for purchase to get up to the first branch. The bark was hard and not too smooth but Jensen's fingers had difficulties to find grip. He had to cover a distance of roughly twelve feet to get to the first branch. In dragon form, grip on trees was never a problem because the talons were sharp enough to hook into about anything. Human fingernails just couldn't compare. 

Jensen had managed about eight feet before his fingers started sliding down and he growled in frustration. And suddenly the slide stopped although he hadn't reached the ground yet. Looking up, Jensen found the tips of his fingers having changed. Instead of fingernails, there were talons which dug into the bark effortlessly. 

Staring, Jensen realized in his frustration he must have unlocked the ability to partially shift. Like Airik all these years back, who had taken human form but kept his dragon eyes. Jensen looked at his other hand, still completely human, and concentrated on his talons. Low and behold, his hand began to change.

"Cool," Jensen exhaled softly and then used the advantage to get up to the top of the tree. He had been right. The view was spectacular and he could see for miles around. The bad news was, there were no hills or anything similar that could yield a cave or something akin. He sighed. So the hut it would have to be.

Staying up in the tree, roughly fifty feet above the ground, Jensen was feeling safe. Relaxed. He even almost dozed off. With a jerk he sat up. Maybe he could build some kind of shelter up here in the trees. He'd be safe from unwelcome visitors. Possibly even from detection. But it would take more time to set it up.

A faint noise made him look up and into the distance. The foliage hindered his sight right below him somewhat but beyond the edge of the treeline was easily visible. Especially when he focused and switched to his dragon eyes. 

There was a single person walking towards Rothír's Creek, carrying a sack filled to the brim with whatever it was. Jensen couldn't make out any features because the human had a hood thrown over his head but Jensen was curious as to where he had come from. 

When Jensen had reached the top of the tree, nobody had been in sight for miles around. If the human had been in the forest before, why walk out into the open to get to Rothír's Creek? The path through the woods was straightforward. The plains were a detour.

Not really knowing or caring for an answer, Jensen started climbing down, already thinking about what he'd need to build some shelter high up in the trees. When he reached the ground, his stomach growled. He kept forgetting that while in dragon form a decent meal every few days was sufficiant, his human body needed small portions every now and then. 

He'd had some edible leaves earlier but he really wanted protein this time. Maybe his new found ability to part shift would help him catch a critter he could grill. Sniffing the air for a scent, Jensen glanced around and then set out on his task to feed himself.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Jensen perched on the branch opposite the entrance to his nearly finished tree house. He had been working on it for nearly two weeks now, finding straight enough branches, fully or partially peeling the bark off them and smoothing them with a little help of his dragon talons. He twisted the bark fibers to strings and used bigger cut off splinters to merge the branches by carving holes in the latter ones and lining them up just to push the splintered off pieces through both. He was quite happy with his handywork. The house basically only lacked a roof and he had already collected the necessary branches to fix that. 

After seeing himself not happy with his hut on the ground, Jensen had taken to the trees outside Rothír's Creek to watch how the humans built things. He had picked up on a few ideas and tricks and had got to work on his shelter. So far he had managed to stay completely undetected although once he had come close to stumbling into some humans who had been collecting mushrooms in the woods.

Over time Jensen had become adapt at part shifting the dragon features he needed. Mainly his talons to climb and carve, but also his fire breath. Climbing down, Jensen walked the relatively short distance to a little clearing at the creek where he'd deposited the last branches he needed. He had found that peeling the bark was a lot easier when the logs were wet so he'd kept them submerged in the water to soak.

It was hot in the clearing as the sun had an unobstructed path to the ground, no trees to break the rays. Jensen started peeling the first branch but soon worked up a sweat and discarded his shirt before continuing. Just as he started peeling the last branch, something triggered his senses. Tensing slightly, he stood unmoving, ears perked to listen for any noises. 

The nearby leaves were rustling in the slight summer breeze that sent a shiver down his spine as it hit his sweaty torso. A raccoon emerged from the brush and hurried across the clearing to disappear by the water side. Jensen relaxed. He should be used to the wildlife by now. Getting back to his task, Jensen ran his talon along the tree limb once more.

"Jensen!"

Jensen startled and dropped the branch as he slipped with his talon and sliced open his forearm in the process. Human skin had no way to withstand the razor sharp edges and glittery blood welled from the deep wound, dripping to the ground as Jensen finally laid eyes on the caller.

 

*****

 

Jared was walking his horse along the path at a good pace. He'd been able to keep it up despite the rather heavy sack of dragon balm Douglas had ask him to pick up from Eric's outpost without exhausting the animal. At first Jared hadn't understood why they would need more balm, since barely two weeks ago, when Eric had visited the community, they had acquired a large portion of it. But Douglas explained that one simply couldn't have a big enough supply of it, especially when so much they made or depended on was made of wood.

One fire and it would all burn down. The balm protected the wood and a lot more. Jared knew that dragon balm was made of shedded dragon scales. But since hardly anybody knew where to find dragons and thus shedded scales, they all depended on people like Eric who for some reason seemed to have unlimited access to it and traveled around to sell it for a handsome price.

When Eric had passed through their village again at the end of his several day long tour, Douglas had sent Jared along with Eric to pick up extra supply that Eric had at his base. Since Eric had been on foot, Jared had taken him onto his horse. Riding along for about three hours, Eric had lead him to a run down shack by the side of the road and made him wait outside. He'd returned with a big smile and a medium sized sack full of balm.

Jared couldn't help himself, but Eric just rubbed him wrong. The man might be supplying communities with the valuable balm but Jared's neck hair stood on edge when the man smiled his sickly smile. It seemed fake. Condescending. Vile. And Jared was hurrying through the man's smalltalk so he could be on his way home again.

Eric had talked a lot on the way to the shack and, as he had been sitting behind Jared on the horse, there had been no way for Jared to ignore him. But never once did he indulge the only question Jared had asked him - where he got all the balm from. Eric was quick to change the topic and it had done nothing to improve the bad vibe Jared got from him.

Finally riding alone Jared's thoughts revolved around the balm again. When the community of Rocastle had captured Scales, they used his blood to make potions and salves, using the healing magic in the sparkling crimson fluid. Every year when Scales had shed his skin, his father had collected the discarded scales and boiled them down into the balm. However, Jared had also heard stories about people forcefully removing the scales from captured dragons to get the balm. He could only imagine the agony that must have caused the beasts.

Luckily, the suggestion to forcefully take Scales' armour had only been made once but the people had voted against it. The balm they made from the naturally shedded ones was a sufficient supply for a year. Jared remembered the vat they had filled and when he compared the amount of balm in their vat to the one he was carrying to his community, he knew that the scales must have come from more than one dragon. Many more. He had no idea how many dragons existed but he just couldn't shake the feeling that there was more than just shedded scales used.

About half an hour away from Rothír's Creek Jared left the stream he followed to head for the tree line along the forest that reached right up to Rothír's Creek in the west. The creek was in his line of vision for a while even despite the multiplying amount of trees growing alongside it. Before the forest became really thick, there was a sort of clearing once more and Jared caught sight of a person by the creek.

Something about the man handling a large branch looked familiar and Jared squinted his eyes against the sun. The man was shirtless and facing the creek so all Jared could see was the muscular back glistening in the sun. Then the man lifted his head, looking around the brush and Jared caught a glimpse on light brown hair that was beginning to hang down into his eyes, but the profile of him was what made Jared swallow hard. He knew that man.

"Jensen!" 

Jared shouted the name of his rescuer across the clearing, making the other man jump. Jensen dropped the branch and even from the fifty yards away Jared could see the red spreading on his arm. Realizing that Jensen must have been using a knife on the branch, Jared immediately felt bad for causing injury to the man.

"Shit," he muttered and spurred his horse towards Jensen to see if he could help.

 

*****

 

Recognizing Jared who headed towards him now did nothing to ease Jensen's mind. There was no way he could let the human see his blood. It would be hard to explain. Or rather impossible. The wound was deep but Jensen could already feel the healing process beginning, which would be even more impossible to explain.

Quickly he grabbed his discarded shirt and wrapped it around his arm while using his feet to kick some dirt onto the red pool at his feet. Luckily he had brought the knife he had collected the day he escaped on him because the lack of a sharp tool would not help explaining his wound. Jensen doubted that human fingernails could cause such an injury.

"Jensen, I'm sorry... you're hurt...," Jared started rambling as soon as he was close enough to abandon shouting.

"No," Jensen called but Jared ignored it.

"I got some gauze in the saddle bags so we can stop the bleeding and then I'll get you back to my..."

"Don't!" Jensen growled stopping Jared in his tracks. "I don't need help. I'm okay."

Jared opened his mouth but kept quiet. How could Jensen pretend it was nothing when he'd seen the gaping wound from the distance. The dusty red puddle at Jensen's feet certainly didn't look like nothing. And the shirt he'd wrapped around his arm...

"You're not okay, man. You're losing a lot of blood. Look, that shirt's already soaked. I got gauze here. Just let me help, I mean, it's kinda my fault. I shouldn't have startled you but I was just so surprised to see you and..."

"Jared. Shut up," Jensen interrupted gruffly.

"Don't tell me to shut up, man. I was hoping to see you again but I didn't mean to... damn how can you say you're okay, you're bleeding like a stuck pig. Are you getting dizzy? We can take the horse..."

"NO!" Jensen barked again when Jared tried to put his hands on him. He felt his eyes flash in anger and froze. Had Jared seen that?

Jared blinked his eyes rapidly at Jensen's outburst and his outstretched hand fell limply at his side. For a split second Jensen's eyes had lit up brightly and Jared could have sworn his pupils changed briefly. It was probably just a play of light and shade, though, because staring at him now the eyes were mossy green as ever. Jared's gaze dropped slowly, briefly lingering on the full lips of the other man before slowly traveling down his bare chest. 

A warm feeling spread through Jared's body and his tongue snaked out to wet his lips. Realizing he was staring, Jared abruptly looked up again to meet Jensen's eyes. The green eyed man said nothing, his face determined and yet somewhat lenient. Jared took a step back and glanced at the haphazardly wrapped up limb. At least the bleeding seemed to have stopped as there was no more fresh blood welling through the material or dripping down Jensen's arm.

"Alright," Jared rasped as he took another step back. "If you say so. But... if you need help, come find me at Rothír's Creek. I... we can help." 

Reaching the horse, Jared saddled up, oblivious to Jensen's gaze that had followed him and now rested on the sack on the horse. His nostrils flared slightly as he took in the scent and his forehead drew into a slight frown. 

"Bye," Jared croaked and kicked the horse into a trot. Soon he was out of sight, lost in his own thoughts as he headed to the fenced in community.

 

*****

 

Jensen still stared a few moments after Jared had left the clearing, trying to digest what had happened and what the familiar smell coming from the cargo on Jared's horse was. When a bird flew up from nearby, Jensen shook his head to clear it and then studied the bloodied branch and his sliced arm. 

Unwrapping the shirt again he saw the wound had closed up almost half way already. He really hoped Jared hadn't noticed the shimmer in the blood that had welled through the material. Exhaling sharply, Jensen turned and bent down to wash as much blood as possible out of the shirt in the creek. Then he draped it over a rock to dry and picked up the branch once more to finish his task.

Two hours later he'd finally fitted and secured the last piece of wood to the roof and lowered himself in the entrance way of his new home, letting his legs dangle in the air high up in the trees. Up here he could use his dragon vision to observe, watch or track forest animals or whoever walked the woods for a mile. 

Enjoying the peace and quiet for a while Jensen finally glanced at his wounded arm. Only a superficial looking scratch was left of the gaping gash. It would probably be healed over completely within the next forty-eight hours. Really no reason to panic like Jared had.

Jared. Jensen frowned as he thought about the young man. Earlier on he'd been too intent on not letting Jared see his dragon blood. Now, Jensen recalled how his former guard had looked him over like a treasure. Jensen liked treasures. They sparkled, made him feel content and to a degree, giddy. Jared's heart rate had been elevated but that had probably been because of his panic about the wound. Not because he felt giddy.

Jensen was about to shrug his musings off when he recalled the way Jared had wet his lips and the way his pupils had gone wide. He had no explanation for that. Humans were a mystery. Maybe he could find out the meaning by watching the people of Rothír's Creek. Or maybe he could just forget about it and stay away. He wasn't particularly fond of humans and didn't care much for company. He was a dragon after all. 

Taking in his day's work, Jensen wished for some balm to coat his house in. He doubted he'd accidentally set the place on fire but every decent dragon lair was coated in the balm. If he could stay in dragon form he could just wait for the itch and shed and then boil the balm but in human form? He had no idea if his dragon would need to shed and if he'd feel the itch. 

Inhaling deeply, Jensen took in the pleasant but foreign smell of the freshly peeled branches he'd used. So different from his usual lairs but he'd get used to it. Jensen closed his eyes and dozed a bit, letting his thoughts run free in his tired mind.

Suddenly he sat up straight. A niggling thought had surfaced again. A smell... the smell he'd gotten from the sack Jared's horse had been carrying. It had been familiar. And then it hit him. He'd smelled dragon balm. A bit off for the smell of the horse but... Jared had been transporting dragon balm. Where in this dragon unfriendly land would Jared get dragon balm?

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday, @DarkSun ♡

* * *

Half the night Jensen had been trying to come up with an explanation for the dragon balm Jared had been transporting on his horse. When his tired brain had finally shut down and he'd fallen asleep in the tree house, the mystery had still dominated his dreams. He woke in the early hours of the morning knowing he would have to find out. 

Thoughts revolving around the balm, Jensen picked at the scab on his arm. A tiny twinge caused him to look down and another thought invaded his mind. He couldn't just find Jared and ask him. Jared would want to know how he knows. And Jensen was sure Jared would also want to see the wound because the man felt a need to help that was totally foreign to a dragon. How could he explain that a wound that had bled profusely the one day was completely healed the next?

Blowing a smoke ring from his nostrils in annoyance Jensen realized he had to bide his time. But that didn't mean he had to stay idle. He'd find his perch on the trees outside Rothír's Creek and find out even more about those humans. Maybe he would learn the answer to his questions that way.

 

*****

 

After Jared had met Jensen at the creek he'd made it his mission to find the man who saved him. But he wasn't at the creek any of the following days, nor did Jared find anything that could point him in the right direction to find this elusive man. 

Sure, Jared had realized that Jensen was not a people person. But even the most withdrawn person would need some kind of human contact. Wouldn't they? Jared himself could not imagine not being among other people. He needed the laughter, the chats, the daily human interaction. He would desiccate without it. 

About a week after Jared had seen Jensen he had come across a crude hut deep in the woods. At first he had thought the fading daylight had been playing a trick on his mind. But when he reached the shelter there was no doubt it was human made. Nobody seemed to live there however. There was no bed, no recently used fire place, nothing that said 'inhabited'. And yet it was the only place that said, a human, or humans, had stayed in these woods.

Jared stared a few more moments at the hut and suddenly felt the hairs on his arms standing up. There was no sound, at least none that indicated danger, and yet Jared felt watched. With dusk coming at him rapidly, Jared decided to leave and investigate the place another day. He could feel the invisible eyes on his back, but somehow he didn't feel threatened.

 

*****

 

Jensen stared at the retreating back of his former guard. So Jared had found his emergency shelter. He knew that meant their ways would cross again, soon. Jensen wasn't particularly keen on the idea but it bothered him less than he expected. 

Out of an impulse he decided to follow Jared. He wanted to see whether the human would head straight back to his hut in Rothír's Creek. When they reached the enclosed settlement, Jensen as usual took to the trees. Thanks to his superior vision he had no trouble in the feeble remaining light and the sporadic shine of the several fires to spot Jared.

Jared was talking to a grey haired female who was busy packing basket upon basket onto a small wagon. Jared helped her with the bigger ones, heaving them up and securing them to the wagon. When all the baskets had been stowed, the old woman went to the front and took hold of the handle to pull the wagon from the central place to wherever her hut was. 

Jensen frowned. Dragons were in general not a very sociable kind, but in the community the oldest and wisest dragons were always supported by the young ones if there were tasks that afforded a lot of power. It was an unspoken law and young ones who didn't partake in making sure the elders were helped would be excluded from the community in case of repeat (lack of) performance. 

Just when the woman was about to try and get the packed wagon in motion, Jared stepped up and took the handle from her. Jensen could not hear what he told her, but he could see that he was talking to her. Watching the young human help out the elder one brought a smile to Jensen's lips. 

He'd been watching the humans for quite some time now and knew that not every human saw need to help the old and weak. Something that Jensen could not understand. He was glad to see Jared was one of the considerate young ones. He wasn't sure why it made him feel glad, but it did.

For the next few days Jensen successfully managed to avoid running into Jared, who was searching for him in the woods, around the hut and towards the creek as often as possible. On the other hand Jensen spent almost every evening hidden in the tree, observing as much of Jared's life as he could. 

Jared was respectful and helpful to everyone, but especially to older people. He was hard working and friendly and never turned anyone down. It seemed that he was well liked by the community. It pleased Jensen, even though he couldn't figure out why.

 

*****

 

About a week after Jared had discovered the hut Jensen had used first, he finally managed to set eyes on the mysterious man. He had been busy trailing all the places he connected with Jensen and when Jared once more was inspecting the hut for any kind of signs of the man, he heard footsteps approaching. A few moments later Jared's head popped out of the door like opening and he looked straight at Jensen's green eyes.

"Hi," Jared rasped, quickly exiting the hut. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... um... snoop around. I... I've been looking for you."

"I know," Jensen replied.

"You know?" Jared was stunned. "But... why? I mean, how?"

Jensen just tilted his head slightly and shrugged with a smile that made Jared's heart flutter. He found himself staring at the other man's lips, wondering what they'd taste like. The next moment he shook himself mentally. What was he thinking?

"Right, um, nevermind. How is that arm of yours?" Jared was secretly relieved that he managed to sound fairly normal. Jensen glanced at his forearm and then shrugged.

"Good as new," he offered. Jared followed his gaze and gasped. Where there had been a gaping wound only a week ago he now only saw a perfect scar. 

"By the sun! It's completely healed," Jared was astounded. Jensen shrugged.

"I heal fast."

Fast was an understatement if Jared ever heard one. This was amazing. The only thing he had ever come across that could speed up healing like that was...

"Dragon blood," he exclaimed and Jensen tensed.

"What?"

"When you rescued me you said you had some dragon blood. Used it to heal my wound. Did you use it on your arm, too? Is that why it healed that fast? It's amazing. Do you, um... do you still have any left?"

 _Plenty,_ Jensen thought. "Not right now," he replied.

"That's a pity. It's my fault you had to use it all up. I'm sor..." Jared hushed when he saw the intensity in Jensen's eyes, making them seem even greener than before, almost  luminous.

"I told you I was fine."

Jared was silent for a few heartbeats. "Right," he then mumbled. When neither of them moved for a minute or two, Jensen spoke again.

"So now you've seen I'm alright, what is keeping you here? You can stop feeling guilty. I'm good."

Jared wanted to reply that it was Jensen who was keeping him here. It was like there was a spell in the air, binding him to the spot. Jensen simply standing there looking at him made Jared's heart race and sing with joy. And the man was totally oblivious about what he did to Jared.

"You," Jared started and then cleared his throat. "Err... there's no bed in your hut. Where do you sleep?"

Bed? What was a bed? Jensen was confused. Did humans sleep in a bed? He remembered the narrow table like structure outside of his dragon prison that his guards usually had sat on and occasionally also laid down on it. Was that a bed?

"I sleep in the hut," Jensen shrugged.

"With no bed? That's... just... wow," Jared was lost for words.

"The ground is quite enough," Jensen shrugged. Humans were strange.

Jared just shook his head in disbelief. "Boy, you're weird."

Jensen just shrugged and turned to leave.

"Wait," Jared called. "Where are you going?"

Jensen took a deep breath but half turned back to Jared. "Somewhere where nobody is talking." He was about to start walking again when Jared's hand latched onto his forearm and halted him.

"Wait, Jensen, please?" Jensen turned and looked into Jared's big eyes. They were a fascinating shade of hazel. Fascinating because Jensen had never seen a dragon with hazel eyes. They were green like his, red, some had golden eyes, or black.

However the eyes were not what caught Jensen off guard. It was the slight spark of electricity that made his arm tingle where Jared touched him. His eyes dropped to Jared's hand, causing Jared to pull it away like he burned it.

"Sorry," Jared mumbled and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "It's just... I wanted to invite you to maybe visit me? I know you don't wanna hear about saving my life but it's kinda important to me and I would like to at least thank you a tiny little bit. So I was thinking of preparing a meal for you - just as a thank you. I... I'm not trying anything, I promise."

A palpable silence opened up between them with Jared's words floating around in both their heads. Jensen noticed the elevated heart rate in Jared again, his pupils and the way he nervously licked his lips. He really needed to find out what that meant because Jensen realized it caused his human body to react in a similar way.

He didn't much feel like visiting a human settlement, but he felt that if he refused Jared now it would offend the man or make him try again and again. Taking the invitation would give him the chance to maybe find out about that bed Jared kept talking about, and maybe other human living conditions so he could adjust and avoid any more awkward situations in the future. Because now that Jared knew where to find Jensen, it didn't take much common sense to understand he would drop by every now and then.

"Alright," Jensen replied after a short while. 

Jared's eyes shot up from where he'd been studying his feet, mouth open in surprise. He had definitely expected Jensen to refuse him.

"You're coming?" He asked cheerfully. "That's awesome. Um... is tonight too short notice?"

"Tonight," Jensen nodded.

Jared beamed and quickly waved his good byes, trying to make sure Jensen didn't change his mind again. Jensen watched the human disappear in the trees, wondering what he'd gotten himself into. When Jared was well out of sight he climbed his tree and sought shelter in his tree house.

 

*****

 

About an hour before darkness would fall, Jensen made his way to Rothír's Creek. He had a funny feeling in his stomach and put it down to nerves and doubts about his decision. But he had given Jared his word and dragons were known for keeping their word. Not that Jared would know any of that.

When he reached the enclosure, old habits told him to scope out the settlement and he took to his favorite tree. There was still lots of hustling and bustling with people walking, talking, getting food or children playing. For a moment Jensen had no idea how he would cope getting among that many humans. Then his eyes fell on Jared, who was talking to someone.

Jensen only really saw the backside of that person but something just made the hairs in his neck stand on edge. He strained his ears but the distance and the excessive chatter of the other humans made it impossible for him to make out a word that was said between Jared and the other human.

Whatever they were talking about, Jared seemed all excited. Jensen decided it was time for him to leave the tree and face his demons, or rather the humans. Grabbing the branch he was perched on, Jensen cast a last glance at Jared and froze. The man Jared's been talking to had turned around and Jensen could see his face. He felt his eyes flash and his talons extend and when he exhaled a waft of smoke rose from his breath. Jared's chatting partner had stawberry blond hair and doe brown eyes and the mere sight of the smirk on his face made Jensen's blood boil.

"Airik."

As Jensen hissed the name of the dragon who had been the cause of his imprisonment, a slight flame singed the bark of the tree and Jensen quickly put it out with his hand covered in scales.

What by the sun was Airik doing in a human settlement? In his human shape? By the looks of it, Jared knew Airik and conversed with him like he was a friend. And suddenly Jensen knew what Airik was doing. His presence would definitely explain the dragon balm the humans used. Airik was breaching Hjálmarr's rules. He was trading dragon goods. Humans couldn't be trusted. Had Airik given up his true identity as well?

Scrutinizing the scene with his dragon vision, Jensen saw Airik handing a small vial to Jared before the turned and headed to the northern exit of the settlement. Jensen was furious. How could Jared take anything this vermin offered him? He would have to ask him.

Once Jensen had reached the ground he had his anger in check. Realizing that neither Jared nor any of the other humans had any idea what game Airik was playing or who he really was, forced him to think about everything more rationally. If he wanted to have any chance to find out whether Airik had gained permission to walk amongst humans or if he was simply trampling Hjálmarr's rules with disregard, he needed to play dumb. At least for a while.

Jensen took a deep breath and made sure that none of his dragon features were still shining through, before stepping out from the tree line and walking up to the east entrance of Rothír's Creek.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

The guard at the gate to Rothír's Creek gave Jensen a sceptical once over as he approached. Jensen couldn't really blame him as no-one in that settlement besides Jared had ever seen him. He was a complete stranger in a world where you just couldn't afford walking around assuming everyone was your friend. Jensen once believed that to be true in their dragon realm, but ever since that fateful altercation with Airik he knew better. Even his endangered species wasn't close enough to be free of animosity.

Stopping a few yards in front of the guard, Jensen nodded in greeting and took a deep breath. The guard stepped closer, hand on the hilt of his sword, dark eyes regarding him with suspicion. If Jensen wasn't set on finding out what Airik was up to, he'd have turned around. Sure, Jared would have been disappointed, but he would have found him again, eventually.

"Name and purpose of your presence," the guard snarled in a deep voice, circling around Jensen who forced himself to stay impassive.

"Jensen. I'm here to visit Jared," Jensen replied evenly.

"Jared?" The guard frowned. "Oh, that new guy. He know you're coming?"

Jensen just nodded. 

"Right. You been here before?"

Jensen gave a shake of his head.

"You don't talk much, do you? Alright, walk along here and then, at the end of these aisle of huts, keep left. You should be walking straight at his place."

"Thank you," Jensen mumbled and proceeded in the direction he'd been pointed in. The guard didn't have to know he knew they layout of the settlement from watching it from the trees. Slowly he walked along, looking left and right, dragon eyes taking in everything as he looked for evidence that Airik was breaking dragon rules.

The faint smell of dragon balm filled his nostrils and he realized that most of the huts were coated in it, at least from the inside. Turning left after the last hut, Jensen immediately spotted Jared through the open door to his hut, busy preparing something inside.

Walking up to the door, Jensen knocked on the wood like he'd seen humans doing it when they were about to enter a hut other than their own. Jared turned around, looking at him with a big smile.

"Jensen. You came," he beamed. "Come on, in. I know it's not much but..., here, let me just move this and you can sit here." Jared picked up some kind of paper wrapped package from a tree stump like structure and gestured for Jensen to sit down.

Jensen gingerly settled on the stump. He didn't quite understand the need for a structure to sit on when he could just as well sit on the ground. But it seemed to be a thing humans did, so he complied. Looking up he saw Jared smiling at him and it sent a warm feeling down his belly. Jared then turned to some kind of fireplace to look after whatever he was cooking there. Jensen didn't recognize the smell but it made his stomach rumble in anticipation.

Finally Jared brought over two bowls of steaming food and handed Jensen something that reminded him of a miniature version of a shovel he had seen humans use for various purposes. It looked metallic and Jensen eyed it curiously.

"I know it's not much and I'm certainly not the best cook, but I swear this stew is edible," Jared said with a crooked grin as he took his seat opposite of Jensen and tucked in. Watching Jared intently, Jensen then decided to try out this shovel thing and scooped some of the stew onto it. Watching Jared eat it looked easy but suddenly Jensen wasn't even sure this metal thing would fit in his mouth. He hesitated.

"You never seen a spoon before?" Jared asked when he saw Jensen stare at his cutlery like it was a snake ready to bite.

"I...," Jensen started but then trailed off. He couldn't really say no, could he? "Um, I'm just wondering what's all in this... stew."

"Oh," Jared replied. "Pork, potato, different vegetables, broth and herbs. Are there any foods you're intolerant to?" He looked slightly worried.

"What? No." Jensen said quickly and then carefully manoevered the spoon into his mouth, like he had watched Jared do it.

"Don't worry, it's not too hot anymore."

Jensen had to be very careful not to choke on the first taste of stew due to Jared's reassurance. Only a human could tell a fire creature like a dragon not to worry about burns. Then again, Jared had no idea. Chewing carefully, Jensen found the taste rather satisfying and swallowed.

"Good," he then nodded, leaving Jared to wonder whether he meant the food or the information of the heat on it. Strangely enough, tasting human cooked food for the first time, Jensen felt an overwhelming urge to taste it over and over again. Dragons didn't cook stew or other seasoned food. Herbs and plants were merely used for potions or salves to help with wounds or other problems. Tasting the stew was an entirely new experience, and he enjoyed it.

Jared watched mid-chew as Jensen closed his eyes, savoring a spoon full of stew for quite a while before swallowing. The only time he had seen a man practically worshipping food was when they had fed old Halbert after he'd been lost in the woods outside Rocastle for nearly four days. Completely in awe, watching his guest, Jared almost jumped back into chewing when Jensen opened his green eyes, who somehow seemed to sparkle even more brightly than Jared remembered.

"Good?" Jared inquired.

Jensen searched out his eyes and nodded.

"I've never tasted anything like it," he replied and went back to eating.

Jared was dumbstruck for a moment. Was he for real? Where did Jensen grow up that he never had stew? Oblivious to his host's bafflement, Jensen cleared out his bowl as well as he could with the spoon. When he looked up, he found Jared still staring at him.

"What?" Jensen asked.

"You... you never had stew?" Jared sounded incredulous. Jensen shrugged, licking his lips. With a slight shake of his head, Jared got up and walked to the open flap of his hut. "Wait here."

Leaving, Jared headed straight over to Nara's hut. Nara was an elderly woman that had provided Jared with almost everything he needed when he first got here. He was sure she'd still have a small cauldron that he could pass on to Jensen, filled with more of the stew.

Meanwhile Jensen was examining the interior of the hut. In the corner was an iron fireplace where Jared had been cooking the stew. Above it, a rope stretched from one wall to the other, on it hanging several utensils that Jensen didn't recognise. He assumed they were needed for cooking. In the opposite corner was a four postered, low structure that looked big enough to have a human curl up on it. Probably the bed that Jared had wondered about Jensen not having. A blanket made from some kind of pelt as well as a stuffed cushion neatly covered the bed. 

Then there were the two tree stumps to sit on. Behind him, Jensen saw the crude outline of a table like structure. He knew a table from watching one of his guards back when he was locked in the cell. This guard always sat on a cushion that he placed on the bench in the corner and brought a small table to spread his food on. The raw structure in Jared's hut looked at least double the size, though.

On the wall were several spikes, obviously designed to hang things up. Jensen recognized clothes, shirts and pants, shoes, and something that caught his eye with a sparkle. He got up and turned towards it, using his hand to push aside the edges of a blanket to reveal a sword.

Jensen knew swords. He knew humans used to try and kill dragons with them although that was while their worlds were still merged. Hjálmarr had a scar from it. When he was a young dragon there had been many fights between humans and dragons until the councils of both sides set up some kind of contract that kept their worlds apart. That was about 700 years ago. Humans it seemed had forgotten about dragons being able to shift long since.

The sword looked impressive with an ornate sparkling silver hilt, as well as some golden inlets. Jensen reached out his hand to touch. Like all dragons he had a thing for every bright kind of metal. Treasures were what dragons lived for.

"It's not finished, yet." Jared's voice came from behind Jensen and Jensen turned his head.

"It's beautiful," Jensen replied, letting the fingertips run over the hilt and down the sharpened steel blade. 

"You like it?" Jared went to put down the cauldron on the stove and rejoined Jensen. "They put me to work with Douglas, the blacksmith, and Tomkin, the goldsmith showed me a thing or two. They thought I was rather talented so they let me work on a sword of my own and I'm loving it."

"One of our elders had many swords. Some more ornate than others. My favorite one had rubies and emeralds in the hilt," Jensen explained.

"Gemstones, wow. They must be worth a fortune," Jared gasped, briefly wondering just who Jensen was referring to with elders. "The travelling merchant here, Eric, he left just before you arrived actually, he usually sells us stuff like dragon balm, sometimes small vials of dragon blood. Maybe you know him. Anyways, he said he'd keep his eyes open for some onxy or aquamarine, so I could work them in, but I'm not sure I'd be able to pay him."

Eric. Sounded close enough to Airik. Jensen's hair stood on ends.

"Where does this, um, Eric get those things?" Jensen asked evenly.

"Oh, I don't know really. He's been trading with most settlements here. Never seen him at Rocastle, though, but then again, since we had a dragon there, there wasn't really a reason for him to come and try to sell dragon goods."

Jensen had become rigid at the mention of the dragon, him. Jared really had no clue. Taking a deep breath, Jensen forced himself to act like nothing had happened.

"He must have connections to dragons to get that many 'goods'," he mumbled.

"Really? I'm not sure any human has a connection to dragons. I think he just knows a place where people hold a dragon captive, like we had."

Swirling around Jensen couldn't stop his eyes from sparkling. 

"Whoever thinks they have the right to use a dragon like that? W... they are sentient beings and I thought humans and dragons decided to part ways centuries ago." Anger was vibrating in Jensen's voice and Jared's eyes grew big.

"I don't know. I... kinda grew up with having a dragon there. I was five when Scales was brought to Rocastle. I didn't know better nor question anything. I do know that Scales, he was really bright. Not that anyone cared to notice, but I could see it in his eyes. But, how do you know so much about human and dragon relations?"

Jensen shrugged, realizing he was about to give himself away. "Elder stories."

"Oh," Jared nodded. They stayed quiet for a moment and before Jared picked up again. "I really don't know where Eric gets the goods. Nor do I know where he would get the gems for me."

Jensen scoffed. Knowing Airik as he did, there was no way the dragon would give up any gemstone he could lay his hands on. 

"Do you know when he will be back? I... think I would like to meet him," Jensen asked, voice back to being relaxed. As much as the topic of dragons and his own imprisonment riled him up, he knew Jared wasn't to blame.

"I don't really know. Sometimes it's days, other times it's weeks. I don't know how he travels and where all. He's always on foot." Jared walked around Jensen to take the sword down. He let his fingers run over the blade and the inlets on the hilt, feeling Jensen's eyes watching his every move. "I really hope he will bring some gems, soon. I don't really care which ones."

An idea crossed Jensen's mind. Or rather a memory. He knew exactly where one could find myriad gems, but the location was on dragon territory and in a cave that had the only entry under water. Hjálmarr had told him and his friends about it when he was growing up, but since Jensen despised water, he had never felt the urge to have a look. 

"I might know where to find some," he started innocently and Jared's head spun to stare at him. "I can have a look sometime soon."

"Really?" Jared shouted excitedly.

Jensen shrugged and nodded. The next moment Jared pulled Jensen into a bone crushing hug and gave him an overenthusiastic kiss on the lips. Jensen stood shellshocked. Dragons weren't really an emotional species, and acts of affection were reserved for when they'd found their mating partner. Even then it was never public display and only acted upon in the act of procreation. 

Unsure about human behavior, Jensen had no idea how to react. Was that the customary action of showing gratitude? He'd seen a few humans in Rothír's Creek kiss, not knowing what it meant. Dragons didn't kiss. Nervously, Jensen licked his lips. Was he supposed to kiss Jared back? Was that expected? Would it be offensive if he didn't?

Jared was still so very close, long arms wrapped around Jensen's slightly smaller frame and Jensen could literally taste Jared's excitement on his tongue. To make matters worse, his human body seemed to enjoy Jared's closeness, so Jensen decided to let whatever human instincts he might possess take over and pressed his lips to Jared's.

The second their lips touched once more, Jensen felt his heart beat speed up and he tentatively moved his lips, spurring Jared into action. Soon, Jared's tongue slid between his lips and he slightly opened them, following every move Jared made. His heart was still racing and his whole body was beginning to tingle in a way Jensen had never felt before. Not as a dragon and definitely not as a human.

He could hear the rapid heartbeat of Jared racing along with his own and when Jared pulled him even closer and bucked his hardening cock against the other man, Jensen started to panic. He had no idea what was happening and why. This was definitely different from the ways of a dragon.

Pulling away, Jensen gasped for air as Jared grinned from ear to ear, also catching his breath. His eyes never left Jensen's and the dragon felt like Jared was devouring him with them.

"That was... you are amazing," Jared finally panted before reluctantly letting go of Jensen.

Jensen's eyes never left Jared as the young man tried to catch his breath and his eyes went from Jensen to the sword and about in the hut. Jensen hoped there'd be an indication if his response had been acceptable.

"You didn't have to do that, you know?" Jared finally continued, still breathing faster than before.

"Do what?" Jensen asked.

"Kiss me back," Jared elaborated. "I mean, I was kinda bold to do so in the first place but damn, you made me so happy when you said you'd look for gems. For me. I always tend to be exuberant in my thanks, so... damn, but I enjoyed it. It was unexpected, but simply amazing." Jared looked at Jensen to see him still watching him and grinned. "And now I'm babbling again, and..."

Jensen stepped forward and briefly pressed his lips on Jared's once more, effectively interrupting Jared's rambling.

"What was that for?"

Jensen shrugged. "For the stew." Jared had thanked him like that for something that made him happy. The stew made Jensen happy, so he figured it would be acceptable to do the same. And, if Jensen was honest with himself, it had felt good. 

"Oh," Jared said eloquently. "Oh, talking of stew. I got this cauldron from my neighbor, so you can take some stew home. Wait, I'll get it ready for you."

Jared scrambled to grab the cauldron and transferred part as much of the stew as he could fit before handing it to Jensen. 

"You should probably warm it up before eating. Not sure it tastes the same if cold."

"Right," Jensen replied. "I will be off then. Thank you... for all this."

Jared smiled. "You're most welcome. You can visit whenever you want, if you're up to company, that is."

Jensen nodded and turned to leave, cauldron in hand.

"Would you like me to make a sword for you, too?" Jared called after him. Jensen stopped and half turned to face him.

"For me?"

"Consider it a trade for the gems you wanna get for me," Jared replied with a crooked grin and a shrug. Jensen's facial expression was pensive and for a short moment it was quiet. Then he looked up with the hint of a smile.

"Deal."

Jared watched him go, wondering what just happened between them. Half way during the visit he had been sure Jensen was about to walk out on him. When the talk had come to Eric and dragons it had been like a dark cloud hovering between them. And then, somehow, it had turned to the best moment of Jared's life.

His impulsive kiss had the best repercussions and he could still feel the softness of Jensen's lips on his and the thrumming tingle that had taken over his whole body. So far he had been sure Jensen didn't really like him much, but now? Jensen sure was an enigma and Jared was determined to find out what made the man tick.

 

******

 

As he walked back through the trees, Jensen was trying to sort the new sensations he had felt during the most unusual visit with Jared. Thinking about Airik still made his anger flare but he realized he would have to subdue it until he would get him alone. If he didn't check himself around Jared, he might just give away his not so human nature. It would probably freak Jared out if he'd go full dragon around him. 

Back in the hut up in the trees, Jensen stared at the cauldron full of delicious stew. His stomach gave an interested roll and he used his flame to heat the metal container and its contents. Jared's sword invaded his thoughts once more, the exquisite craftsmanship and the prospect of owning one himself. And just like that Jensen decided he'd get those gems the next day.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Jensen had been walking west for about an hour, always heading into the general direction of home. His home. The dragon realm. The cave he was going to seek out was about half a day away from the area that sheltered most of his flight's caves, by air, so he felt confident he wouldn't be running into anyone there.

The night was clear and the many stars in the sky along with the moon illuminated the landscape. It had been a good while since Jensen had met any human and he decided it was safe to travel the rest of the distance in his natural form. He shedded the clothes he had been wearing for the last weeks, bundled them up and found a single fir tree amongst a bunch of maples where he stowed the bundle hidden by the low branches.

Stepping back, Jensen took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The air was bristling around him as he shifted, dragon unfolding instantly. Brilliant green dragon eyes opened simultaneously with his wings, that he unfolded for the first time since the crash that had led to his capture and imprisonment. There had been a point, not so long ago, where he thought he'd never experience the feeling of spreading his wings, let alone flying again.

His solid body shivered with excitement and with a mighty push from his clawed feet, Jensen lifted off, enjoying the rush of air along his body, feeling it bunch up in the leathery planes of his black wings. He whipped his tail noisily, watching the green spikes emerge from equally greenish shimmering black scales. Everything felt like he'd never missed a day of flying and he did a few swirls and loops before sweeping down to pick up a leather pouch he had found in the vicinity of his tree house a few weeks back. Then he was ready to return to his task and headed off towards the cave. 

What would have taken him about two full days on foot he managed in a five hour straight flight, and that was taking the long route. Once he'd crossed the invisible border to the dragon realm, he'd decided to keep his distance to the area where all the dragon caves were situated.

The caves he was heading for were not usually heavily frequented by dragons. Sure, there were gems, an abundance of gems, but it meant that they would have to dive to get in. Most dragons, Jensen included, were no friend of water. They were fire creatures. Longer exposure to water was having a toll on their inner fire and the dive, as Jensen remembered Hjálmarr once said, was no short distance. 

Finally Jensen laid eyes on the waterfalls he was seeking. The caves were inside the massive rock formation and the entrance tunnel could only be reached from the basin that was foaming and gurgling with the masses of water that fell from the top of the cliff. Landing safely on shore, Jensen took in the admittedly spectacular view of the waterfall and immediately dreaded the thought of having to get water on his scales.

He tried to jog his memory whether Hjálmarr had said anything about how long the tunnel under water was. Jensen's only experience with water had been a disaster landing when he was very young still. He had been in the water for only a few minutes, quickly finding out how to use his body in water to get to the safety of the shore before all of his fire was killed - or so he had thought then. It had taken him most part of the day before he felt like his old self once more and had steered clear of water in any form ever since then. Why was he going to get those gems again?

Jared had touched something inside Jensen that made him wanting to see the human happy. Jared being happy triggered a similar glee inside Jensen to his treasures. Pensively he stared at the water, contemplating whether he should give in to his aversion to water or the desire to please this human.

Finally, the latter won out and Jensen briefly considered attempting the dive in human form. He remembered that Airik once said that swimming as a human was fun, but his experience regarding water and human form was even less than in dragon form and thus the decision was fairly straightforward. Pushing the last doubts aside, Jensen determinedly entered the dreaded element.

Immediately the water sizzled around him, but only for a short moment. He still didn't enjoy the feeling of water around his scales, but he pressed forward and, taking in as much air as his lungs could hold, he dove down just outside the disturbed water. Eyes open, he realized he could see just as well as in air and soon he made out the black hole that was the cave's entrance. With a powerful push of his wings, Jensen sped forward.

Once in the tunnel, he found it quite narrow, which made the use of his wings a lot more difficult. Switching to the power in his hind legs to propel him forward, Jensen followed the tunnel, that was actually only a bit more than wide enough to accomodate his sleek but massive body. There was a gentle bend to the left with still no end in sight yet. Jensen could feel his inner fire withdrawing bit by bit, but he ignored it. Focusing on keeping up his forward momentum, Jensen had barely felt the oxygen level in his lungs reaching an uncomfortable amount when finally the tunnel curved upwards and his head broke the surface.

Immediately he spread his wings, keeping afloat with ease until he spotted an island like platform just a bit right off center and climbed up. The cave itself was quite sizeable, reaching up as high as the waterfall on the outside. A small opening somewhere up there allowed a singular ray of sunshine to illuminate a part of the cave.

Jensen's eyes sparkeled as he took in the wide abundance of emeralds, saphires and amethysts. Even some rare white topaz were glinting from the walls and in a far corner Jensen made out the red glimmer of a ruby. His heart was pounding faster at the vision of all this treasure and he felt it heating up his inner fire.

With unhesitant precision, Jensen collected a few stones from each of the groups he found and collected them in the leather pouch. Soon he could hardly fit any more into it and decided that one day he must return to this place of happiness. Making sure he got a good grip on the pouch, he tackled the way back in the same manner as before.

Finally back outside, Jensen clambered up on a sun warmed rock plateau and shook the residue water off his wings before wrapping them around his body in an attempt to rekindle his inner fire.

What felt like hours later, Jensen was nudged from his semi slumber by a rumbling noise. Dark clouds had accumulated in the sky, trying to overpower the warming rays of the sun. Jensen didn't feel like getting caught in a thunderstorm, so he stretched his wings and took to the air.

 

******

 

The rhythmical sound of a hammer working on steel filled the area around the blacksmith's work hut as Jared meticulously worked on a rod as long as his arm, slowly shaping it into the blade of a sword. He hadn't yet finished the one Jensen had found at his place, but the awe in Jensen's eyes had lit the desire in Jared to forge one for his friend. 

Being fairly new to the art of forging swords and other things, Jared let his mind wander, remembering a few different shapes of swords he had seen in his young life. Out of their own volition his hands began shaping a blade that broadened out before narrowing twice before meeting with this hilt at it's widest. 

Since it was quite long, the blade needed some sturdiness to strengthen it in the wide spots and Jared had compensated for that by making the slice plane diamond shaped. This also would allow for him to sharpen both sides. But for this last step, the blade was almost finished and Jared's thoughts were already straying to creating the hilt, especially the ornaments. For a brief moment he wondered whether Jensen would really be able to find him some gemstones.

"Hey, Jared!"

A golden blond head appeared from around the corner and the owner curiously eyed the work in progress in front of Jared. Marten was about a year younger than Jared and he and his friends had taken it upon them to show Jared around when he first arrived in Rothír's Creek.

"Are you almost done here? The twins and Aisling said they wanted to show you the hot springs up by Buzzard Head Peak." Marten sounded excited and Jared had half an idea why. He let the hammer bounce on the sword one more time before steaming the hot metal off in the barrel next to the anvil.

The twins, Halbert and Herbert, were notorious in the settlement for being up to no good. Marten and Aisling, much like Jared, were working at the carpenter and baker to earn their keep, but the twins so far hadn't lasted more than a few days before being more or less kicked out. But since they were younger even than Marten, the community still granted them time.

"Oh, yeah, well.... I'm about done here now," Jared replied, busying himself to clean up his work place. 

"Great. We're waiting at the eastern gate. Don't worry bout a horse, it's all there already." With that, Marten dashed off and Jared grinned briefly before stowing the sword and all tools away. Then he briefly stopped by his hut and walked over the the gate, where the four were already waiting for him.

"Ay, there's the slow coach," Halbert shouted cheerfully. "You can take Aisling's ride, I'll give her a lift."

As Halbert talked, Aisling slipped off her mare and handed the reins over to Jared before approaching Halbert and grabbing his outstretched hand. Soon she was seated behind the one twin. Jared still had a hard time telling them apart, but he noticed that Halbert had a mole on his neck that his brother was missing. Plus, Halbert and Aisling were together, so if push came to shove, the one hovering around the brunette girl had to be Halbert. 

No sooner had Jared settled on Aisling's mare that Herbert gave a loud yell that made some seniors of their community shake their heads and off they raced, continuing east. Marten was urging his steed to keep up with Herbert while Jared stuck by Halbert and Aisling's side, who were taking a slower pace due to the increased load.

 

******

 

Jensen had been flying all through the night and approached the spot where he'd left off his human clothes just as the imminent sunrise began to light up the landscape. He'd really cut it tight because it just wouldn't do for any human to detect the sizeable shape of a dragon in the skies above their land. Jensen had never approached a human in dragon form outside of his imprisonment and had no idea how that would be received.

Tiredly, Jensen shifted to human right away and redressed himself in the worn clothes he had acquired several weeks back. They began looking much worse for the wear by now and just maybe, Jensen could use a tiny gem to trade for new garments. He stuffed the pouch of gems into the hem of his pants, next to the knife and started walking the rest of the distance back to his treehouse.

He hadn't come far yet, when up ahead a broken down wagon caught his attention. Next to it was a human whose curses Jensen could hear without having to strain his ears. Still not a fan of human company, Jensen began to detour to shelter his presence in the dense forest but just as he thought he had managed to stay undetected, a loud call taught him differently.

"Oh, thank the Sun you are there," the human cried. "I was afraid I'd be stuck here until someone would eventually stumble into this neck of the woods. Can you give me a hand, my friend?"

Sighing softly, Jensen grumbled at being called a friend by a complete stranger, but he changed direction to meet the human in need. The wagon as Jensen could see, had lost a wheel and the imbalance had made the affected corner dip and bury itself in the soft forest ground. As soon as Jensen had reached the broken cart, the human began giving directions.

"Thanks again, friend. My name is Hayden. As you can see, the wheel came off this dratted wagon and I need some extra hands to reattach it. Could you just lift that corner right up so I can line up the stupid wheel and knock it back in? That would be such a help."

Hayden hardly waited for a reply. Instead, he jogged over to where the wheel lay flat and brought it upright to roll it in position. Jensen just did as he was asked and easily picked up the cart so Hayden could fix it. As soon as the human had pushed the wheel on the axle, he went and grabbed a massive hammer from the back of the wagon and knocked the wheel a few times to make sure it would stay put. When he was satisfied, he leaned the tool on the wagon and extended his hand towards Jensen.

"Thank you so much, Sir. You've been a real help. How can I thank you? I don't even know your name!"

"Jensen," the dragon simply replied before stepping back.

"Well, thank you, Jensen. I really appreciate it. I was on my way through to the Plains because I want to sell some of my goods in the settlements there. Would never have reached them with that dumb wheel coming off. Just glad my horse didn't take damage in the process."

Hayden, who was slightly shorter than Jensen, looked him up and down. A brilliant smile spread across his face.

"I know how I can thank you, Jensen. Your shirt looks like it's seen better days. I got a whole wagon full of shirts and other garments. Let me see if I can find something that would fit." Hayden rounded the wagon and climbed into the back of it. Jensen really wanted to get as far away as he could sooner rather than later, but this Hayden seemed genuinly grateful and Jensen could really need a change of clothes. So he stayed right on the spot where he was. A few minutes later Hayden appeared right in front of Jensen, torso hidden behind an abundance of garments.

Dropping his bundle on the grass before them, Hayden scrutinized Jensen with a knowing eye and shuffeled through the pile before pulling out an anthracite shirt, holding it up against Jensen's torso for measure. Then he nodded.

"Try this one," he instructed.

Jensen blinked and slowly reached out to take the shirt off the man. He looked around and finally ended up putting it on the ground to unbutton the one he was wearing.

"No, no, no, man. Go behind the wagon, Jensen. I don't need to see you in your birthday suit." Hayden pointed to the edge of the wagon and Jensen frowned. He had no idea what his birthday suit was, but it was clear that Hayden didn't want to watch him changing clothes. So Jensen picked up the shirt and followed the instructions.

"Wait. Take these, too," Hayden called and when Jensen turned to face him, he was met with and outstretched arm, holding some black pants. Wordlessly, Jensen took the garment and continued. A few minutes later he returned to where Hayden was busy reorganising his goods, stacking shirts, pants and other things.

"Wow. You clean up nicely," he exclaimed with a smile, obviously chuffed with himself that his eye's measurements were spot on. He stretched out his hand to fumble with the collar of the shirt before a slight frown briefly crossed his features. "Something's still missing. Hold on."

Hayden disappeared into the back of the wagon and Jensen could hear him rummaging around a bit. At last he emerged once more, holding some moccasin like shoes and a black leather vest.

"Here, put this on," he said, holding out the vest so Jensen could slip his arms in. Then Hayden readily buttoned up the placket faster than Jensen could have managed and stepped back again to admire his fashion sense.

"Perfect."

Jensen looked down on himself, unsure what exactly made the other man so happy. He had to admit he looked a lot neater than before but these new clothes felt foreign on his skin. He would definitely have to get used to that.

"Thank you," Jensen mumbled. He knew that humans fabricated clothes and then sold them for money. Now, he knew Hayden wanted to give him something as a thank you for the help with his wagon, but this was more than just one item. Jensen picked up the rag of a pants he was wearing before and withdrew the pouch containing the gems.

"Don't you wanna try the shoes, buddy?"

Jensen glanced at the footwear. He'd never had anything on his feet so far, but he didn't want to offend the man. He had no idea how to use them, though, and was glad that Hayden wore a similar pair. Scrutinizing the way it had to look, Jensen laboriously donned the shoes, finding that basically he just had to slip in. He felt weird. Uncomfortable. Did humans really walk around with their feet covered like that all the time? He had seen the people im Rothír's Creek all sporting some kind of footwear, whereas back in Rocastle not everybody had been wearing shoes.

"How do they feel? Too small? Too big? Too wide?" 

Hayden's questions made no sense to the dragon. He had no idea how shoes were supposed to feel, so he just shrugged. "They're fine."

"Really? Awesome!" Hayden beamed from ear to ear. "That should  repay you for your help, my friend."

"It's too much. I only helped once. You gave four items," Jensen replied, pouch in hand. "I can give you..."

"Nonsense," Hayden interrupted, inadvertedly irritating Jensen. In the dragon realm not letting an elder or a stranger finish what they had to say was considered rude. He didn't say anything, however. He had no idea what was customary among humans in this matter. 

"If it hadn't been for you, Jensen, I would probably have missed the market in the Planes. And that would have cost me a lot more than these things. You deserve them."

Jensen cocked his head and deliberated for a moment. Then he nodded and even managed a tight smile. "Then, thank you, again."

Hayden grinned and climbed up the front of the wagon. He picked up the reins and turned to Jensen one last time.

"Safe travels, my friend. Thank you again for your assistance." He clicked his tongue causing the horse to fall into a trot and soon, he was out of sight.

Jensen glanced down to his dressed feet and started walking in the general direction of his tree house. After merely a few steps he stopped and pulled off the shoes. How could humans walk in them? Holding them in his hand, he continued on.

Half an hour later, Jensen settled into the tree house, stowed the shoes in a corner, stuffed the pouch containing the gems inside the one and dozed off.

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

Marten had been right. This was a beautiful spot and Jared hadn't hesitated a moment before joining the others in the water. It had been a long while since he'd had the chance to swim but he still remembered how to do it. Judging by the way the twins were diving about they came here quite often. Aisling was a bit more cautious and Jared got the impression she wasn't too fond of getting her head under water.

"Hey Jared," a voice came from somewhere above. Looking up, Jared saw Herbert standing on top of a ten foot ledge, looking down. "Watch this!"

Herbert disappeared for a moment before running back into view and jumping into the water below with a somersault. The water splashed massively and Aisling turned her head to avoid being hit in the face.

"C'mon," Herbert said, crawling over to where Jared and Aisling were. "It's fun. Give it a try."

"Watch out for me, first," Marten shouted from above. When he was sure all eyes were on him, he jumped down with a back flip. Jared grinned.

"Alright, how do I get up there?"

"Follow me," Halbert said as he got out of the water. He lead Jared around to the backside of a boulder that conveniently had broken down in layers in ancient times so it was just like climbing giant steps to get to the level of the ledge. 

Jared walked to the edge and looked down. Looking down from up here it seemed way higher than looking up from below. He swallowed.

"Always make sure you jump towards your right, Jared," Halbert said. "If you jump too far left, the water isn't deep enough as it's sloping in from the side." 

Then he waved to Aisling below and stepped back a bit before running up and launching himself into the air for a twist and a turn before making contact with the water. Then he swam over to Aisling, enveloping her in a hug to kiss her. Herbert nudged Jared and rolled his eyes.

Marten had found himself a spot on one of the barely water covered flat spikes towards the edge of the pool, stretching out to soak up some sun. Herbert grinned and turned towards Jared.

"I'm gonna show Marten it's kinda risky to put himself on display like that." 

This time, Herbert didn't go for an inrun. He jumped head first, creating next to no splatter when he entered the water. Immediately he dove towards the flat spike and quietly climbed on. Marten seemed to work on dozing off, but not for long because Herbert sneaked up on him and rolled him off into the water. Marten squealed and tried to grab Herbert, managing to pull him into the water as well.

When they both were back to having solid ground beneath their feet, Marten grabbed Herbert and pulled him close before kissing him. Jared gasped. He hadn't yet been very long in Rothír's Creek, but back in Rocastle, King Henry had made it clear that any relationships that could not 'produce new citizens' were not approved of. The way Herbert and Marten seemed very carefree about showing their affection lead Jared to the conclusion that things were handled differently in his new community. For some reason he couldn't tear his eyes off the two and completely to notice Halbert climbing back up to him to sit next to him on the ledge.

"Did you have a girl... or boy back in Rocastle?"

Jared almost jumped out of his skin which made Halbert roll onto his back from laughter. When he had settled down he sat back up and looked at Jared expectantly.

"Um, not really," Jared hummed. 

"What does that mean, yes or no?"

"A few years back I kissed this girl, Shirley, after the celebrations for King Henry's birthday, but I guess that doesn't count. And when I got the job of looking after Scales I kinda focused on that. No time for shenanigans," Jared explained with a shrug.

"Shenanigans," Halbert tutted and shook his head disapprovingly. "Right then. Who is Scales?"

"Err," Jared stalled. He wasn't sure if it was alright to talk about the dragon. It was somewhat a badly kept secret. Nobody outside of Rocastle was supposed to know about it, yet every town or settlement around them did but pretended not to. Since Rocastle didn't exist anymore and Scales had disappeared, Jared decided that sharing the story was what he'd do. 

"Yes?" Halbert was curious.

"You might or might not have heard about Rocastle sheltering a dragon?" It really was half a question. Halbert frowned.

"Kinda. Kinda figured it was an old wive's tale. I mean, how would one do that? Catching it in the first place. And then making sure it didn't escape and burn down the whole place. My father always said that King Henry just claimed that to intimidate his enemies. That he somehow built an alliance with the dragons to get his hands on dragon blood and balm and all. Kinda like Eric has, you know?"

"I understand, yes. But we really had a dragon. They captured Scales when I was just a kid. Five or six years old. He was gigantic."

"You're not taking me for a fool, are you?" Halbert squinted.

"Not at all. Cross my heart and hope to die," Jared recited as he went through the motions. "He was big. Covered in shiny black scales. They shimmered greenish in the shine of the fire, same green like those eyes. Such a beautiful color. Never seen it in a human until recently. I swear, when I took over the job of guarding Scales from my father I would just sit there at times, staring at him. He must have thought I was nuts." 

Jared closed his eyes briefly, reminiscing. Halbert kept quiet, not wanting to disturb Jared.

"Anyways," Jared continued after a short respite, "guarding Scales meant I was busy, had a job. No time to fool around with girls."

"Or boys," Halbert added with a side glance at his twin and Marten.

"Well, I'm afraid King Henry would have strongly disapproved," Jared shrugged.

"Oh," Halbert raised his eyebrows. "Right. So, what happened to that dragon then? Because, obviously, it's not in Rocastle anymore. And if James' Burrow had taken it we would have heard all about it already."

"Honestly, I have no idea. I think Scales must have escaped in the attack and returned to wherever he came from. Although I have no idea how he did it. His cell was damaged, but not nearly sizeable enough for him to fit through. And yet, I saw with my own eyes that he was gone."

"Hm," Halbert huffed, thinking. "I don't know for certain, but my grandpa always said dragons can change their size. Maybe he just shrunk himself a bit in order to get through."

"That... sounds crazy. I mean, how would they do that. But, it would be an explanation," Jared replied doubtfully.

"Maybe Eric knows. We could ask him," Halbert suggested.

"Maybe," Jared nodded, thoughtfully.

"So who has those green eyes?" Halbert asked.

"Huh?" 

"You said you've only seen one person with dragon green eyes. I mean, I haven't seen your dragon's eyes, but I know that my dad had really green eyes. Bright. And rare, I know. Look at Herb and me... we got hazel, just like you. Plain green ones I've only seen on my dad."

"Ah, right. I'm talking about Jensen," Jared supplied.

"Who's Jensen?"

"I... a friend. He's kind of the reason I'm still alive."

"Oh?" Halbert was curious.

"Yeah. He's from the Plains, must have been in or near Rocastle when we got attacked. Maybe to acquire dragon stuff, although I never thought King Henry allowed dealing with it. Then again, the dragon blood he used to heal my head wound," Jared tipped his forehead, "he said he found on a body when looking for a weapon. Anyways, he carried me out of there when I was knocked out. Saved my life because Lord Oswine apparently ordered all survivors to be killed."

"That sounds... scary," Halbert gasped.

"I know. I didn't believe him first. Not like he explained much. He's not a people person really. But I went back afterwards, before heading here. And I saw the field of bodies Oswine left behind. I would have been one of those if Jensen hadn't saved me."

"Wonder why he picked you, not that I'm complaining," Halbert mused.

"I don't know," Jared shrugged. "He just said I needed help." 

"Right. So.... are you going to visit him in the Plains? You sound kinda fond of him."

"He's..., I'm... not kinda fond of him, and he's not in the Plains," Jared explained.

"You so are," Halbert grinned. "So where's he then?"

Jared decided not to start an argument over whether or not he was fond of Jensen. Of course Halbert was right, but he didn't really need to know that. At least not before Jared himself was sure what was going on. 

"Some hut in the forest," he shrugged.

"In the forest? Alone?"

"Who's alone in the forest?" Marten's voice piped up from behind them.

"Great," Jared muttered softly. "Nobody."

"Jensen," Halbert supplied with a grin.

"Who or what is a Jensen?" Herbert, who of course appeared on the scene behind Marten wanted to know. 

"He's a friend of mine, of sorts," Jared sighed. "He's not a people person and he lives in the forest."

"I think I know who you mean," Aisling said. "Wasn't he at your place the other day?"

"Errr, yes," Jared replied with a slight blush, hoping nobody would notice.

"He looks nice."

"I look nice," Halbert cut in, trying to act offended. "You're not supposed to find other men nice looking." He pouted. Aisling laughed and kissed him on the lips.

"Cool down, you silly boy," she giggled before Herbert interfered.

"You want him to cool down you gotta do this," he called and then gave his brother a good push so Halbert fell down into the water below. Then he took a step back to jump after him with a gleeful shout. Aisling just shook her head.

"Boys, you know. They can never stop." 

She took an elegant nose dive into the wetness below to join the twins. Marten looked at Jared.

"Alright, big guy. Last one in the water is it!"

He scrambled towards the edge but Jared had longer legs and quickly dove in to avoid having to try and tag one of the guys in the water. There was a lot of splashing and laughter going on for a while until all of them decided they needed to rest before heading home.

 

******

 

Jensen had been sleeping most of the day, having to restore his energy from long flights and an exhausting swim. It was getting dark when his green eyes opened and he felt famished. He had a small bit left from the stew but still felt hungry after eating it. He decided to use his superior night vision with his dragon eyes to catch himself a young buck.

He had seen humans use buck skin to make clothes or shoes so he stripped the skin off before cooking the meat over a small fire he made. It still amazed him how little food could sustain a human compared to a dragon. In that form he would have eaten the buck in its entirety and probably still had space for more. In human form, however, a leg was plenty. Frying the rest of the buck up, Jensen cut down the big juicy pieces and then took the bones down the path, away from his tree house, for scavengers to feed on.

The night was pitch black by now, which didn't really bother Jensen. It was interesting to watch some forest animals come to live and go about their business. He watched them while contemplating what he'd do in the morning. He wanted to bring some of the gems to Jared, and since he didn't know the other's plans for the day, Jensen decided to go early.

For now he busied himself going through his treasure. Jared would have to process the raw gems before being able to use them in his ironwork. Jensen decided to pick four stones of different color and see if Jared liked them. The remaining stones Jensen hid in the uncomfortable shoe once more. He really had to find a better way to hide things in the treehouse, not that anyone knew about it. He stashed the chosen gems in the pocket of the new vest he wore.

Returning to the forest floor, Jensen walked around, dragon eyes scanning the brush and surroundings for anything that looked like it could be part of or make a good hiding place. Close to the river Jensen came across the remnants of a downed tree. He could see it had been the work of humans and they must have started working on whatever they needed the tree for right there. To Jensen's benefit they had left whatever they didn't need of the tree right there.

Grabbing a disc of the stem, which was about as long as his forearm, the diameter being a little more than that, Jensen inspected it, an idea forming im his head. Making use of his talons, he hollowed it out, creating a decent sized cavity that would be big enough to harbor the pouch and some more if needed. He left the entry hole smaller than the cavity in the center, almost like a burrow or a cave. Back in the tree house, Jensen put it over the gems, so for someone who had no idea it looked like it was just a log to sit on. Not that he ever planned letting a human see his tree house, let alone invite them in.

The first slivers of sunlight began finding their ways betweem branches and brush and Jensen rolled up the buck skin, wanting to bring it along to Jared. He would know who in town could work with it. Maybe make some kind of soft shoes that didn't squash his feet.

The guard at Rothír's Creek nodded at him when he approached. It was the same man he'd seen the previous day. Jensen knew they'd be taking turns so he figured being a guard was this man's job.

"Going to see Jared again, quiet one?" The guard greeted. Jensen just nodded.

"Well, go ahead then. I think I've seen him moving around so you might wanna try the blacksmith's. I like your new clothes by the way. Very dashing." He stepped aside and Jensen nodded his thanks and passed him.

As the guard had predicted, he found Jared at the blacksmith's, stoking the fire and rotating a sword in the making in the early sunlight, trying to figure out what he had to do still. Soft footsteps made Jared look up and a big smile spread across his face.

"Jensen!"

Jared put down the sword and engulfed Jensen in a warm hug. He felt the other man tensing and remembered Jensen wasn't a big hugger, so against his own instincts he kept it brief.

"Wow, you look amazing. Where did you get these clothes?" Jared's eyes were big as he took in Jensen's appearance.

"Helped someone. He gave them to me," Jensen shrugged and graced Jared with a tiny smile.

"That's great. Really. But, what brings you here? Is there anything I can do for you?"

Jensen looked at the sword because looking at Jared made his heart rate go up and he had no idea how to handle that. He remembered the kiss from the other day, and how he hadn't known how to handle it either. 

"I brought this for you," Jensen replied. He put the buck skin aside and fumbled in the pocket for the gemstones. Jared's eyes grew big as plates.

"By the Sun! Those are beautiful! Wh... where did you find them?" Jared carefully picked up the emerald and turned it into the light to take in the way the rays sparkled within.

"I know a cave," Jensen shrugged, not willing to give up more information, not even to Jared. Jared didn't even seem to listen, just picked up the jewels one by one to inspect them. "I'm sure you can make beautiful things with them."

"Jensen," Jared said softly. "Those are too... precious. I can't use them."

"Yes, you can. I brought them for you," Jensen repeated.

"But I can't repay you."

"Repay me? For what? You're making a sword, aren't you? The gems are for the sword. For you. I don't need money," Jensen replied. "Just take them. They're a gift."

Jared just stared at him, open mouthed. Jensen smiled and took Jared's hand into his, palm up, put the gems inside and closed Jared's fingers around them. 

"They're yours."

Jared closed his mouth and nodded, not trusting his voice. He kept staring at Jensen in awe, from his messy, spiky hair, to the brilliant green eyes, freckles and down past the red lips to the scar on his chin. And back to the lips. The next moment he finds himself kissing those lips. There was no way he could have stopped himself. It was like a magnetic pull emanating from the other man that short circuited all proper thoughts. To his surprise he felt Jensen returning the kiss.

"Ha, I told you you're fond of him," Halbert's voice popped up out of nowhere from behind Jensen, making both Jared and Jensen jump. Out of reflex, like a kid caught with the hand in the cookie jar, Jared stepped away, seeing not only Halbert but also his twin grinning at him. He felt the heat coloring his cheeks but when he opened his mouth to stammer some sort of excuse, Jensen's hand cupped his head and pulled him into another blistering kiss.

"Oh my, you caught yourself a wild one," Halbert hooted while his twin whistled appreciatively. 

Jensen detached himself from kissing Jared and barely granted the twins a glance when he grabbed Jared's hand and half lead, half dragged him away from his friends and towards the privacy of his hut. Jared could still hear the cheers from his friends but when Jensen undid the flap to close the hut's entry, his only focus was on the green eyed man in front of him.

Jensen looked hungry and wasted no time to lock lips with Jared once more. Jared responded with a soft moan and wrapped his long arms around the slightly shorter man, pulling him flush to his body. He felt Jensen's heat even through two sets of clothes and instinctively bucked his hips against Jensen's. Jensen backed Jared up until his back came up against the wall. He buried his hand in Jared's hair like he never wanted the kiss to end. 

Kissing was a whole new ball game for the dragon because it simply wasn't something dragons did. But his human form seemed to demand this contact and he let those insticts take over, leaving him wanting more. It was exhilarating and he felt more alive than ever before.

Jared's hands were roaming over Jensen's back, felt the strong muscles move underneath the clothes. Jensen's kiss hot-wired his brain and his hands worked their way underneath the other man's shirt, fingertips tingling when they finally connected with warm skin. Trailing his fingers towards Jensen's hips, he came across a line of slightly raised skin, like a scar, and Jensen shuddered like he touched a life wire.

"Don't," Jensen hissed and Jared mumbled an apology. He figured the spot must be tender still and moved his hands upwards. Jared lost track of time, feeling one leg of Jensen's pushing between his, wanting nothing to a greater extend than feeling more of the mysterious man in his arms.

A forceful knock on the wood next to the flap drew both men back to reality. Jensen took a step back, breathing rapidly, lips red and swollen from kissing. Jared looked pretty much the same and took a deep breath to calm himself before stepping to the flap to push it aside. Hand on the edge of it, Jared turned to glance at Jensen who was looking back at him, eyes still wide with arousal. Jared dug his teeth in his bottom lip and sighed before he opened the flap, expecting to see the twins or even Marten.

"Eric."

Jared was surprised, although he knew he shouldn't be since he'd told the man to stop by next time he was around. Stepping fully outside he shook the trader's hand in greeting. Eric grinned.

"Hello Jared. I'm back in town. Anything I can get for you?"

Jared put in the usual request of dragon balm which was quite helpful in the blacksmith's shop. Eric nodded and dug in his satchel for the desired item but when he held it out to Jared, his face dropped, surprised. Jared frowned and turned to see Jensen having emerged from the hut, staring at Eric, eyes even greener than usual.

"Oh, Eric, this is Jensen. Jensen, Eric, the trader," Jared introduced.

Eric quickly schooled his expression, but Jared could see the smile was forced. He nodded at Jensen, who just narrowed his eyes.

"Airik," he then said with a voice void of all the fire he had held just moments before. Jensen walked up to stand next to Jared, in a clear manner that warned Airik not to mess with what's his. 

It was then that Airik noticed the subtle signs radiating from both men, the way Jared's pupils were still slightly dilated and Jensen's breathing was still a bit off. Airik wondered for a split second whether or not Jared knew about Jensen's true nature, but quickly decided he didn't, because then he would certainly not purchase dragon materials from him.

"Right. It was nice to meet you, but today I'm pressed for time, so you will excuse me if I will be on my way. Just, if you need anything, you know what to do, Jared."

Heading towards the exit of the settlement, Airik walked backwards a few steps, eyes fixed on Jensen, before turning around and walking off with big steps.


	10. Chapter 10

Jared watched as the trader hastened to get away, completely flabbergasted about what really happened. Over by the blacksmith he could still see the twins, who apparently had been waiting, watching and wanting details afterwards. They quickly turned and walked off, sensing that whatever had been going on first had to be resolved by Jared and his friend.

After a few short moments Jared blinked and looked at Jensen, who's eyes were still focused on where Eric now was out of sight. Jensen looked enraged, eyes still narrowed, jaw set, whole body tense and not the good kind. If Jared didn't know how gentle, considerate and respectful Jensen usually was, he would be scared.

"Um, what... just happened?"

Jared didn't really expect Jensen to react to his soft-spoken question. But Jensen inhaled deeply and then faced him with deliberate movements. 

"Airik happened," he replied, voice still harsh.

"You keep saying Airik, I... thought it's Eric," Jared mumbled, more to himself than to Jensen. Jensen shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. He's bad news."

Jensen turned and went back into Jared's hut, leaving his former guard to scramble after him.

"You... you know him?"

Jared was confused. Jensen seemed to be so unworldly and innocent at times and now Jared felt like he missed a complete chapter of a book he'd barely started reading.

"Long time ago we used to be friends. Not anymore."

Jensen was curt, tone just marginally warmer than when he'd said the trader's name. Jared sensed this wasn't a topic that Jensen was willing to elaborate about. He watched Jensen stare at the sword on his wall and felt he really had to know what had occured to make Jensen react so frosty.

"What did he do?"

Abruptly, Jared found himself in the sole focus of green eyes that seemed to light up in anger and for a split second it appeared like the pupils narrowed and elongated, and involuntarily Jared took a step back. His mind was playing tricks on him and he was certain he wouldn't get an answer.

"He sold me out."

Jensen's tone made it clear that he would say no more on the matter, leaving the inevitable 'how' bouncing aimlessly in Jared's head. Jared nodded, mouth dry, and Jensen seemed to relax a bit.

For a few moments the only thing audible was their breathing and Jared frantically searched for something to say to change the topic. It took his brain a long minute to come up with something.

"Jensen?" His voice was cautious. Jensen looked up, green eyes asking him to continue. "Earlier on, what we were... doing? Does that mean you... we...," he trailed off, not knowing how to finish his question.

"It means I am attracted to you," Jensen finished for him. "I like you."

For a moment Jared looked like a rabbit caught in between two foxes and Jensen wondered if he had been too direct. He had no idea how humans communicated attraction or if maybe same sex unions weren't being tolerated. He had just assumed since Jared had set off the display of affection the other day that it wasn't a problem. 

"I'm sorry."

That seemed to release Jared from his mystification.

"No, don't be. I... I like you, too. I was just surprised because, um, I guess, I didn't expect to hear it. But, yeah, I really like you, too," he rattled on. To prove his point, he wrapped the other man in a big hug once more. When he let him go, Jared remembered something.

"Jensen? That buck skin you brought. What do you wanna do with it?"

Jensen bit his lip and shrugged slightly.

"I don't know. Do you have someone here who works with skins?"

"Um, Peter owns the tannery and his brother Paul is a cobbler. I guess they might have use for it." He looked down at Jensen's bare feet. "You wanna get some shoes, maybe?"

Jensen's eyes grew wide when he thought about having to stick his feet into a rigid prison called shoes. He shook his head.

"I don't like shoes. They're hurting my feet."

"Oh," Jared looked sympathetic. "Even mocassins?"

"What's that?"

"You don't know what... okay. Wait." Jared went to his little wardrobe and rummaged around. When he found what he was looking for he showed Jensen some soft all around leather slippers.

"Kinda like these."

Jensen took the offered footwear and inspected them from all angles. There were definitely no hard edges or bits. Jared seemed to take the lack of protest as a win.

"Right, let's check by Peter and Paul."

He gestured for Jensen to follow him and made a bee line to the blacksmith's to collect the buck skin.

 

*****

 

Airik was walking with no sense of direction as the thoughts in his mind kept whirling up a thunderstorm, preoccupying all of his attention. Jensen was among humans, in human form. 

He had always known Jensen was out there, had seen him fall after their fight, watched the humans transport his motionless body to their village. He'd flown home, told his flight his version of what happened and when the other dragons had declared their lack of compassion with Jensen due to his act of disobedience, he'd felt elated and bad at the same time.

Elated, because his ruse had worked and he had escaped pretty much unscathed, but for the wounds he'd suffered by Jensen's talons and that were well visible even today. Bad, because as much as Jensen and his unwillingness to join him in breaking Hjálmarr's rules, he was his friend. And there had been a time not so long before the incident, that he had wished for the two of them to share more than just some experimental fooling around among young dragons.

Hjálmarr had visited the town, Rocastle, a few days later and confirmed that Jensen was being held in a dungeon, announcing that he had no plans for changing the predicament because there was no leniency for those who rebeled against the rules.

Then Hjálmarr had fallen ill and consequently passed away and Airik had pounced on the opportunity to play up his good side so the dragon council had decided for him to be their leader in absence of a true leader. 

Hjálmarr hadn't been a true leader, he was elected, quite like Airik. True leaders were very rare and were not revealed at birth but when they consumated their relationship with their perfect mate and customs stipulated that any elected leader had to relinquish their reign immediately. There hadn't been a true leader for centuries and all Airik knew was that every dragon would feel it in their blood when a true leader was revealed.

When Airik had taken over Hjálmarr's habit of mingling with the humans he had always steered clear of Rocastle. And after the attack, when there had been no word on what happened to their dragon, Airik had searched through most of their dragon realm trying to see if Jensen had returned.

Part of him had wanted to find him, because deep down he knew they were meant for each other. Those times they had been together had been the best in Airik's life and no matter what he tried, no other dragon could compare. And compare he did. All the time. Jensen would be the perfect choice for a leader's mate.

And now, now he had seen Jensen was alive. He hadn't expected to come across him in a human settlement, in company of a human and above all, in his human form. In the split second it had taken him to recognize Jensen, he had gone from shocked, to excited, to terrified.

When they locked eyes he'd seen the hatred in Jensen's. Years of hurt, feeling betrayed and building anger flashed at him and he'd wanted to turn around right then. When he'd said his name there had been an icy shiver running down his spine. He had never thought one look could hold so many emotions, send so many messages. 

And yet, Jensen's resentment against himself hadn't been all he'd seen there. He had seen protectiveness and fierce affection, but it hadn't been directed at him. It had been directed at Jared, a human.

Just thinking about it made Airik's blood boil in anger and his eyes flashed red. What was he doing running from Jensen, from a confrontation with Jensen? He was the leader of the dragons and he would show him just that.

Airik turned back to Rothír's Creek. He was ready to storm in and confront the other dragon but then decided against it. The risk of giving this secret away was too high. But he would watch, observe. Find the perfect time to get Jensen alone. Put him in his place. 

Finding a spot to observe from outside the settlement was fairly easy because the superior vision of a dragon allowed him to see details in great distances. Perched on top of a rock collection to the east, Airik began his surveillance.

At first he couldn't make out either Jensen or Jared anywhere, but they could just be inside a hut or outside the settlement, so Airik waited. They would appear sooner or later. When they did, however, they weren't alone. Airik hadn't seen where they came from, but when he set eyes upon them, they were in the company of a few other youths Airik had seen in Rothír's Creek before.

Situated in front of the blacksmith's where he knew Jared worked, they seemed to be talking animatedly. For once, Airik wished his hearing would extend as far as his eyesight, but he could tell that Jensen wasn't taking much part in the talking. If at all, he looked mighty uncomfortable, eyes roaming around like he was looking for a way to escape.

Jensen had never been a friend of crowds, even in their youth. Usually he would hang out with him alone or maybe one other dragon, but the more assembled, the faster Jensen left. Jensen had once said he hated feeling crowded, needed space. The time in the cell in Rocastle probably did nothing to ease that feeling. Looking around, Airik noticed how Jensen was standing slightly outside the little circle while the humans seemed to be chatting with Jared seemingly taking most answers to questions posed at Jensen.

Suddenly Airik felt eyes on him and sure enough, when he focused on the other dragon, he was looking straight into his green eyes. A shudder ran down his spine, almost like all those years ago when he had first seen Jensen take on his human form. He had always admired Jensen's sleek dragon body, the coloring of his scales so similar yet different to his. 

Jensen had shifted back to dragon way too soon and the fallout they had subsequently had not given Airik the chance to let Jensen know what he felt, besides anger that his friend wasn't willing to side with him, but in the following days, weeks and months, Airik had often recalled the sight imprinted in his brain. Brown, spiky hair, dragon green eyes, freckles above lips that just begged to be kissed. A lean, muscular torso, slightly narrowing at the hips resting on equally muscular legs. Even despite Jensen being dressed now, Airik could easily see the human form still being the same.

Now, green eyes bore into red ones and Airik understood Jensen knew he was watching. Their gazes were locked for a few long moments, making Airik feel the repugnance from earlier on again, before Jared tapped Jensen's shoulder and consequently broke the stare as Jensen refocused on the human.

 

*****

 

"Jensen? You alright?"

Jensen blinked and tore his gaze from the red eyes watching them from a distance, to look at Jared. 

"Fine," he mumbled, painfully aware of all Jared's friends looking at him expectantly. "Just distracted."

"Obviously," Halbert grinned. "So, you gonna answer the question?"

"Ummm," Jensen stalled, having no idea what question he was supposed to answer. He looked at Jared for help.

"The hunt, Jensen. Will you join?" Jared relayed the question that had been posed. Hunt. Right. The twins had talked about wanting to hunt wild boar in the mudlands adjoining the forest the next day.

"I... don't know," Jensen mumbled with a shrug.

"Ah, come on," Herbert begged. "You got that deer you brought the skin of, you must know a thing or two about hunting."

"Yeah, I saw the skin, never managed to kill one this clean ever, you gotta share your skills," Marten joined in.

Somehow that scared Jensen more. He had no idea about human hunting methods. It would be painstakingly obvious he was not used to human ways. But the look in Jared's eyes, pleading with him to say yes, he just couldn't disappoint him.

"I can try," he finally said, despite the fact that the idea of hunting in a group - of humans on top of it - really made his skin crawl. He was rewarded with the biggest smile he'd ever seen on Jared.

 

*****

 

The evening Jensen was sitting in his tree house, wondering how he had let himself being talked into going hunting with humans. Looking at the knife in his hand he wondered if it would be enough to explain his skills when in reality he had used his talons to kill the buck. He would just have to wait and see.

The more Jensen was staring at the knife, the more his thoughts were drifting back to the events that lead to the hunting invitation and red eyes flashed in his mind. Immediately his expression darkened and he felt his anger rising anew.

Hearing Jared talk about Eric and dragon goods had initially let Jensen consider it might be Airik he talked about. But despite being absent from the dragon realm for years, Jensen couldn't imagine Hjálmarr changing the rules like that. Seeing it confirmed now, that it was indeed a dragon other than their leader dealing with dragon goods made Jensen wonder. He wouldn't put it past Airik to do his own thing, against any rules, like he had wanted to on the day their friendship had ended. 

Absentmindedly, Jensen ran his fingers over the scar on his chin, a visible reminder of Airik's betrayal. The moment he had set eyes on Airik, he had seen the shock in the other one's eyes. Then Airik had all but fled and Jensen had been flooded by a whole world of emotions he still had to sort through. Bottom line was, forgiving Airik was not an option.

Out of the blue a thought crossed Jensen's mind. He'd seen the red eyed dragon watching them afterwards. Was he still watching him? Did he know about this tree house? Jensen concentrated on any dragon sense he had but couldn't detect any other dragon activity around him. Fact was, he would have to watch his back even more now. Not wanting to live the rest of his life watching over his shoulder, Jensen decided that the moment he came across Airik alone he would kill him or die trying.

 

******

 

"Are you sure you got everything you need?" Halbert looked at Jensen, wide eyed. Jared's friend was standing there only armed with a knife, shrugging.

"Just have this. Has to be enough."

"Apparently it was enough for the buck, Halbert. Don't doubt the man," Marten jumped in. The twins, Marten and Jared had met up with Jensen at the edge of the forest, not far from the gate Jensen usually entered Rothír's Creek by.

"Right. Peace," Halbert said, lifting his hands in surrender. The group, minus Aisling, started walking alongside the forest edge, Herbert leading them on. They had just gone past the circumfering walls of the settlement when a person approached them from the side.

"Isn't that Eric, the trader?" Marten wondered out loud. Jensen looked up abruptly, narrowing his eyes when he set sight on the man.

"Yes," Jared replied, slightly nervous. Jensen hadn't said much to his questions the previous day, but he got enough to know tensions were high.

"Wonder what he wants," Halbert mumbled as the group came to a stop. 

Airik kept walking towards the group, but stopped about ten feet out. He nodded in greeting, before talking.

"Hello, friends. I was wondering if I could have a moment to talk to Jensen."

Before Jared or anyone else could say anything, Jensen stepped up, jaw set, gaze icy.

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Come on, man. It's important. Let's step aside for a moment." Airik demeanour seemed confident and Jensen wanted nothing more than to whip his tail across the insolent smirk on the other dragon's face. "I don't bite."

Jensen rolled his eyes, feeling Jared's worried one's on him. Instead of an answer he walked on until he reached a spot far enough off the rest of the group but still well in eye's shot. He wouldn't allow Airik to set the venue. Finally Airik caught up and Jensen glared at him.

"Still disobeying Hjálmarr's rules, I see," Jensen snarled at the other dragon. "What do you want?"

Airik walked around Jensen in a circle, slightly annoyed when the other one didn't turn with him to keep eye contact.

"First of all, you should address your leader with more respect, Jensen," Airik said, fighting to keep his voice authorative.

"You are not my leader," Jensen replied.

"Oh, but I am. Hjálmarr passed a few years back, the dragon council decided I should take on the role," Airik replied with a smirk and a shrug, stopping right in front of Jensen. Jensen's eyes flashed green.

"As far as I'm concerned, Airik, it has been fifteen years since I belonged to the realm. I'm certain you made sure nobody wants me back, so you might be their leader, but not mine. Never!"

Airik's smirk disappeared as fast as it had materialized. The red eyed dragon had been sure the leader card would infuse some humility into the other one. He swallowed.

"There is a way to re-integrate you in the group," he said, playing the last card he held. "As the leader's mate..."

"Never!" Jensen growled, being in Airik's face instantaneously. It took all he had not to throttle or punch the older dragon. Airik opened his mouth to reply but Jensen cut him off by lifting his hand.

"Don't make me rip out your throat with my human teeth!"

With that, Jensen turned and walked away. Away from Airik and away from Jared and his friends. He needed to calm down before facing the questions Jared undoubtedly would have.

"Does Jared know?" Airik called after him, loud enough so he would hear, but not the humans. Jensen stopped dead in his tracks.

"You leave Jared out of this, Airik," he said without turning, dead serious. "You do anything to him, I will kill you!"

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

Jensen had no idea where he was headed and how long he'd been walking when he became aware of being followed. He stopped and turned, ready to chase off whoever it was. When he realized it was Jared, he just stood there, waiting for the human to catch up to him. 

His mind had been filled with an anger he had never known before, not even when he had realized that his former friend had literally let him take the fall when he understood that Jensen wouldn't stand for disregarding the rules. Unwilling to face the humans he was with, he had marched off in the general direction of his current home.

Where did Airik take the nerve to talk to him like nothing had ever happened? Telling him by the way that he had become the leader to the flight and insinuating that he expected Jensen to bow down to him. After what he'd done. To add insult to injury, Airik had the gall to suggest he become his mate. His mate!

Jensen had come within a human hair's width of decking him in front of the others and he really didn't want to have to explain to anyone what had been going on. He was certain that it wasn't in Airik's interest that they gave away the long kept secret about dragons being able to shape shift. That dragons were actually capable of walking amongst humans undetected.

It was obvious to Jensen why Airik had chosen that time to confront him. In the presence of the humans the dragon could be sure Jensen would not attempt to shift. Clearly Airik remembered that most of their play fights in their youth had ended in Jensen's favor.

Taking a deep breath to ban these thoughts, Jensen watched as Jared closed the last bit of distance between them. Jared looked worried. And scared. And quite lost. How did he explain what had happened? 

"Hey," Jared said cautiously. Jensen blinked.

"Hey."

"I... know better than to ask what was going on earlier, but... are you okay?" There was genuine concern in Jared's voice. Jensen shrugged and attempted a crooked smile.

"You're alone?" 

"Yeah, well... whatever you two talked about, it looked pretty intense. I told them we'd go hunt together another time. I guess they're off now. Just like E... Airik."

Jared bit his lip at the name, worried the mere mention would upset Jensen. Jensen blinked slowly but otherwise didn't acknowledge the name. Instead, he tilted his head.

"You followed me."

It was not really a question and Jared wasn't sure what Jensen wanted to hear. Yes, he had followed him. To make sure he was fine. Jared nodded.

"I told you, I like you. I needed to see you were okay."

Jensen just looked at him, his green eyes locking with his hazel ones and Jared didn't dare breaking the contact. He felt like Jensen was reading him like a book. After a few moments that felt like minutes to Jared, Jensen took hold of his hand and squeezed it. It made Jared smile.

"Do you... would you like some company or rather be by yourself? I mean, I can understand if you need some time, but...," Jared trailed off, not wanting to crowd Jensen with words. "Well, I can leave."

"Stay," Jensen replied softly. Jared lifted his head, smile growing wider.

"Yeah?"

Jensen pulled on Jared's hand, forcing him to step into his personal space. Then he pressed his lips to Jared's in a tender kiss.

"You can always stay."

Jared was sure he was grinning like a madman and he felt his cheeks heat slightly. He knew Jensen preferred to be alone. To have him say he can stay meant the world to the human. The ghost of a smile flitted across Jensen's face before he pulled on Jared's hand.

"Come with me."

He turned and headed on along the treeline, a willing Jared in tow.

"Where are we going?"

"I'll show you. Trust me."

 

*****

 

Airik wasn't happy. He had been certain playing the leader card would get Jensen to comply, seeing how he had always been the one to play by the rules. And the rules clearly stated that a flight of dragons had to follow their leader's rules. But Jensen had made it clear that he didn't consider himself a part of the flight anymore. And the way he had blocked off his offer to take him on as a mate made it clear he wasn't interested in changing it.

That human, Jared, he was at fault. It was his doing. Had probably been promising him whatever and of course, since Jensen felt dejected after his captivity, had sucked it all up. He had even threatened to kill him. Over a human. Over a tiny, flightless, puny human!

Airik didn't want to admit defeat and racked his brain about what to do. He came up with a blank. His only halfway helpful idea was talking to Roarke, the oldest dragon in the flight. Maybe he would have some valid advice. When he had reached an area far enough off the humans, Airik shifted and spread his black and ruby wings with destination home.

 

*****

 

"I really wonder what Eric did to get Jensen this angry," Herbert mumbled when he watched Jared following Jensen at a respectful distance. "For a moment there I thought he was gonna rip his head off."

"Are we sure it's safe for Jared to go after him?" Marten asked.

"If anyone is safe, it'd be Jared. You had to see how Jensen was all over him at the blacksmith's," Halbert stated, winking at his brother. "Those two are head over heels."

"Yeah, but do they know it, yet?" Herbert chuckled.

"I think they are getting there, bro. So, what are we gonna do? Still go through with the hunt? We're two men down."

Marten shrugged. He had been looking forward to it. 

"Well, I already went on hunts all by myself, so I'm all in."

"Then let's not waste any more time," Herbert agreed and the three picked up the pace heading towards their hunting grounds.

 

******

 

Jared had long lost track of where they were. He hadn't been that long yet in Rothír's Creek to have time to explore all the surroundings. Jensen on the other hand was living in the beast of a forest and probably knew it like the back of his hand by now. Whatever it was, he trusted Jensen not to get both of them lost.

At last Jared heard some gurgling and rushing water nearby, just before the forest opened up and he finally had an idea where they were. The creek his new home was situated at was running snakelike along and through the forest and Jared knew if push came to shove he'd just had to follow it upstream and eventually he'd find his way home. But that was most likely not necessary.

Jensen seemed to know exactly on which spot they were because he was heading straightforward towards a stretch of river bank that seemed to be wider than the rest. Close to the water the ground was a mixture of sand, mud and pebbles but further into the bend it was a thick meadow of lush green sheltered by a red and green wall of photinia and some butterfly bush.

"That's a beautiful spot," Jared remarked, looking around. Looked like a good spot for a splash, too.

"I know you like water," Jensen replied, finding a nice spot on the grass to sit down. "Hungry?"

Jared watched as Jensen dug in his pockets and produced some leaf wrapped, flame grilled venison that he offered Jared. Just looking at it made Jared's stomach growl and he gladly accepted the food.

"You come here often?" He asked between bites and settled down next to Jensen. Jensen shrugged.

"Sometimes. To think."

Jared nodded while chewing. It made sense he'd been heading this way then after the dispute with Airik.

"It's a good spot to think," he agreed and finished eating. "You ever go into the water?"

Jared was already kicking off his shoes when he saw Jensen shaking his head.  

"No?"

"I'm not a water person," Jensen explained. 

"You're kidding," Jared gasped, not really expecting an answer. "Anyways, I'm gonna go in. Why don't you come along?"

"Go ahead. I'm good."

Jared shook his head and got up to get rid of his garments and then stepped into the water. It was fresh, almost cold, and felt so good on his feet. Without much hesitation Jared waded in further until he was in belly deep.

"It's marvellous, Jensen. Come on, get in."

Jensen just cocked his head and set his jaw before shaking his head again. He still had enough from his dive in the cave.

"Maybe another time."

He enjoyed watching Jared in the water, amazed how smooth his skin looked and how the water beaded down on it. Licking his lips he noticed his heartbeat speeding up and a felt a heat pooling in the pit of his stomach that left him yearning to touch.

"Just your feet then?"

Jensen chuckled. Jared wasn't one to give up. He saw the human beckoning him closer and sighed. Maybe just the feet. They shouldn't create too much steam and possibly Jared wouldn't notice. He got up and took of this new mocassins that they had picked up at the cobbler's before meeting Jared's friends. Jared grinned as Jensen stepped closer before turning and diving head first into deeper waters.

It was the perfect opportunity for Jensen to get his feet wet without Jared watching, so he went for it. To his surprise the sensation he had felt the other day when his dragon skin made contact with the wet element was lacking completely in human form. No steam, no sizzle. Just a cold, somewhat pleasant feeling of fluid moving around his toes.

Taking another step brought the water up his calves, soaking the pants but he didn't care. He marveled at the way the water soaked into the material.

"I would take the vest off if I were you." Jared's head popped up in the water and he grinned. "Leather doesn't take kindly to water."

Jensen watched Jared for a moment and then took his advice. He kinda liked the vest and since he had no experience whatsoever regarding clothes, listening to Jared was the way to go. He opened the buttons and flung the vest safely ashore.

As he turned back to ask Jared if he should take off the shirt, too, he felt a hard tug on his leg and struggled for balance. Jared however didn't give him a real chance and pulled him right into the deep with him.

"See? Water doesn't bite," Jared grinned. He wanted to dive back in and under, but this time it was him who got manhandled. Jensen's strong hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled him close. 

"Stay," he said and wrapped both arms around Jared's bare torso. Then his eyes focused on the human's lips and he kissed him. When he felt Jared kissing him back it sparked a desire in him he had never felt before, making his kisses even more demanding. Jared started tugging on Jensen's shirt, clumsily working the buttons underneath the water. 

"Take it off," he mumbled in between kisses and Jensen quickly obliged, making sure the soaked shirt found a different destination than the vest.

Jared couldn't tear his eyes off Jensen's exposed chest, or at least off what was visible above the waterline. Finely freckled skin, light reflecting in the droplets covering it, and Jared was gone. He knew that whatever Jensen wanted to do, he was game.

The thought of being intimate with this absolutely handsome man along with the feeling of Jensen's lips pressing kisses along his collarbone up to his neck let Jared's cock fill up. He worked his hands inside the waistband of Jensen's pants, feeling the water cooled skin covering the solid muscle of his ass under his desire warmed fingertips, he pulled Jensen close and bucked his hips. 

Their crotches bumped into each other and Jared could feel that Jensen was also standing at attention. He groaned, relishing the sensation despite the fabric of the pants still separating them. This felt amazing. And right. 

"Jensen," he moaned.

"Hm?" Jensen grunted, unwilling to take his eyes off the skin he was kissing.

"I... I've never done this before. I mean...," he fell silent. 

"Never done what? Kiss a man in a river?" Jensen lifted his head and watched the other man's face.

"What? No, I mean... yeah, but that's not what I wanted to say. I guess... I've never been with a man before. Or a woman for that matter. So, yeah... but, I really want it. With you. If you want to, that is..."

Jensen shut Jared up with another kiss to his lips. 

"You don't want me to stop?"

Jared shook his head. "Never. I want you, Jensen."

"You want to have sex with me?"

Jared nodded eagerly. Jensen's features lit up with a brilliant smile.

"You're cute. And sweet. Trust me?"

"You know I do," Jared replied. "Just bear with me, it's an all new experience."

Jensen nodded, he could relate. The only sex he'd had was in dragon form but he figured due to the rough similarities in the anatomy depicting the gender that it wouldn't be all that different. He went back to kissing Jared and let his hand stray to the human's arousal.

Jared gasped when Jensen's hand wrapped around his dick and squeezed, the sensation threatening to short circuit his brain. Feeling someone else's hand holding his hard cock caused his whole body to tingle with anticipation.

"Come," Jensen mumbled and pulled Jared along with him towards the grass on the embankment. As much as he liked the water now, he didn't want to go through with this inside it. He wanted to savor every second, especially the kissing that was non existant with dragons. 

Sex among dragons was more about getting one's rocks off than about love and care. It was mainly a short struggle for dominance and the some more or less rough mating. In his human form Jensen detected many nuances of emotions he had never felt as a dragon. Maybe that was why the elders had always fondly talked about sex with humans.

His pants were dripping, creating a puddle on the dusty ground they were on. Jensen felt Jared tug on them and hastened to comply with the unspoken demand. He found, however, that releasing the button while having an erection was not an easy task. At last the soaked garment slid down over his hips and Jared gasped.

"Wow," the human rasped, pupils wide and fixed on Jensen's dick. Not that he had seen many to compare to, but he could tell Jensen was definitely proportional. At least. Stretching out his hand, Jared found that he could just about close his hand around the shaft, and he had big hands. He marvelled at the velvety feel of the rock hard cock and Jensen groaned loudly.

"Fuck, that feels good."

"Sure does," Jared replied and gave Jensen's dick another squeeze, causing the man to close his eyes and shudder with pleasure. This kind of feeling was definitely new. It spread all over his body and let the little hairs on his skin stand on edge. 

Opening his eyes again, he settled on Jared's hazel ones. Jensen tried to read them, was almost waiting for the struggle for dominance, but what he saw in the human's expression told him all he needed. Lead the way.

Unable to contain his desire any longer, Jensen lead Jared back into the shade provided by the photinia and started kissing those lips again. Soon, they found each other on the grass covered ground, Jensen half on top of Jared, one leg slung across his thighs, dicks touching and twitching. 

Wrapping his hand about both their dicks as much as he could, Jensen started jerking them together, eliciting sweet groans from Jared's throat. It drove Jensen wild. He had to take this man, make him his. Both dicks were leaking precum steadily and Jensen coated his fingers before pressing them to Jared's rim. 

Jared gasped and moaned when Jensen upped the pressure, letting the tip of his finger slip in. He saw Jared's eyes cloud over and felt his dick twitching against his arm.

"Good, Jensen, feels amazing," Jared gasped, breathless. "More?"

Jensen knew deep inside he should take it slow, but the picture Jared was being so wanton in front of him made it very hard to control himself. Gathering up some more precum, Jensen added another finger and pushed a bit deeper. 

"More," Jared grunted roughly and Jensen was done for. Grabbing his cock, he lined up the tip at Jared's entrance, rolled onto his knees and with a pleasurable sigh he jerked forwards.

Feeling himself sliding into Jared's tight heat was a sensation Jensen had never experienced before and he struggled to keep control over himself. 

"Fuck, Jared, you feel so good," he panted thrusting twice more until he was all the way seated in. "You doing okay?"

Jared closed his eyes for a moment before nodding. He felt full. Jensen was stretching him good but the initial pain that he had feared somewhat when he saw what the other man was packing, had dissipated and been replaced by lust. 

"If you don't say no now, I'm not gonna stop," Jensen growled, working hard to hold back when every fiber in his body told him to start fucking. Jared licked over his lip, tasting the fine layer of sweat on it.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Hearing those words set Jensen into total rapture and he almost bottomed out before thrusting back into the velvet heat, over and over, harder and harder. Vaguely he heard Jared moan underneath him, felt the man's hands on his side, nails slightly scratching his skin. After a few rapid thrusts he felt Jared relax fully and both of them groaned in unision.

"Fuck, that's good. That spot. Again, please more, Jensen. Feels so f'cking gooood, I'm gonna... not gonna last, Jensen," Jared rambled, half lidded eyes watching the extasy on Jensen's face. "Oh fuck, 'm gonna cum, Je... ah, gonna cum..."

Hearing those words just spurred Jensen on and within a few seconds he felt Jared squeezing hard around his cock and then the hot, sticky spurts of Jared's release hit him on his abs. Eyes on the man below him, sound of his keening groans filling his ears as Jared's eyes closed, lost in his orgasm, sent Jensen over the edge.

With a deep grunt he felt his balls twitch and then he shot his hot cum deep inside the other man. His eyes were unfocused with pleasure but still he noticed an odd greenish shimmering engulfing both of them. At the same time a thrumming let his body vibrate hard, which actually coaxed another dribble of cum from both their cocks.

Forcing himself to focus, Jensen looked down at Jared's slack, fucked out features, the mess between their stomachs and he caught on the reason for the shimmer. Most of his body was glowing, covered in bright greenish shining scales, or at least a projection of them. A panicked look at Jared let him breathe in relief when he noticed that his partner's eyes were still closed in aftermath bliss.

The scale projection lit up one more time and then died down until his skin once more looked human. With a deep, shuddering breath, Jensen rolled off Jared and worked on getting his breathing under control.

"That was awesome," Jared mumbled softly, sounding like a well fed puppy.

 

*****

 

Airik had retreated to his cave before consulting Roarke. He had to think hard about how to play this without raising the old dragon's suspicion. 

Just when he had been sure he had come up with a fool proof plan, his body started thrumming like he'd touched on lightning. He had never felt anything like it before and yet he immediately knew what it meant. The dragon realm had been gifted with a new, rare, true leader. And that could only mean one thing.

"No!" Airik gasped. It couldn't be. It mustn't be! "NO!"

 

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

Airik was pacing around in his cave, racking his brain about what had happened. The pulse of the true leader had pervaded each dragon in the realm. Which in general was a reason to celebrate. True leaders were rare, but important to dragon kin. They held the ability to right what was wrong and find solutions to problems or obstacles that otherwise seemed insurmountable.

For himself it meant that his time of bending the rules to fit his liking had come to an end. The true leader would not be fooled and would come down hard on anyone who trespassed them. Airik knew every dragon in the realm. He especially knew every dragon bonding and as for now, all mature dragons were either already bonded or had lost their partner due to age. Of the younglings there was none that was due to reach maturity soon, so the pulse pervading the realm could only mean one thing: Jensen was the true leader. And he had found his perfect mate.

Airik wasn't certain what infuriated him more. The fact that he would have to relinquish his reign to Jensen, or the fact that he himself wasn't his perfect mate. He had never expected this perfect mate could also be human. How did dragon magic decide who was a true leader and who was the perfect mate? And why had it chosen a human? Instead of him? He could live with giving up his reign if he was to be the mate of the leader. But this? This was outrageous!

A noise by the entrance of his cave alerted him to a visitor. Turning, he saw Roarke, one of the elders, looking at him. It was obvious the dragon was waiting for an invitation. Airik nodded to him and Roarke entered.

"You felt it?" Roarke asked. Airik huffed in disgust.

"Yeah, I felt it. How could I not?"

"You know where he is?"

"What?" Airik raised an eyebrow. Did the elder dragon know something?

"Jensen. The true leader. You know where he is?"

Airik looked at Roarke, red eyes glaring. Of course he knew where Jensen was. But it didn't matter. He couldn't just walk up to him and tell him the elders wanted his ass back at camp. It would give away the fact he's had contact with an outcast. Sort of violating the general rules. 

"I might know where to look," he replied non-commitally. Roarke nodded.

"Jensen returning will be quite an uproar," the elder stated. "He broke Hjálmarr's rules. Got himself caught. Hjálmarr thought leaving him with the humans was an appropriate punishment. I wonder what he would have said to the recent events."

Airik huffed a plume of smoke. He wasn't sure how to handle this all. All dragons knew Jensen was cast out. That he disregarded Airik's words and broke the rules. But he was also the true leader. He had to return, claim his role. His dragon blood would eventually demand it. On the other hand Airik was certain Jensen wasn't keen on facing the other dragons. Those who had been around then would all still be cross.

Suddenly a thought shot through Airik like an icy lance. When Jensen returned and told his version of the story... it would end in a role reversal. He would be cast out for betraying not only Jensen's, but also Hjálmarr's trust. He couldn't let that happen. He would have to find a way to convince Jensen that revealing the thruth would be of mutual disadvantage.

"It doesn't matter what Hjálmarr would have said," Airik replied, grinding his teeth. "Even Hjálmarr wouldn't be able to deny a true leader. Question is, who is the perfect mate?"

Of course Airik knew the answer, but Roarke didn't. And Airik wasn't yet ready to give up that knowledge. Roarke nodded.

"He might have found the flight across the Ice Seas," he mused. "He must have escaped the humans when their settlement was destroyed. He'd have had time to make the long journey across the Seas."

The flight across the Ice Seas was lead by an old, triple horned dragon called Fokke. Hjálmarr had met with him once in a decade and Airik so far had met with him once. Fokke wasn't really the type to pick up strays, surely Roarke would know that. But the fact the old dragon considered it a possibility meant that it was unknown to date that the perfect mate did not have to be a dragon.

"I will try to find him. I don't know how long that will take me, but maybe the council should discuss the situation in my absense. I would put you in charge of that, Roarke."

 

******

 

"Jensen?"

Jared's voice broke the confortable silence as the two hiked back towards Rothír's Creek. After following their feelings into having sex by the riverside, they had taken their time to recover, relax and finally deciding to head back. Jensen hadn't banned the meeting with Airik from his mind, but it had definitely taken a seat far back, especially after what had happened with Jared.

"Hm?" 

Jensen lifted his eyes and looked over to the human, whose lines on his forehead told Jensen he was thinking.

"When we... were together just now, did you feel that, in the end, like... lightning running through... us?" Jared wasn't quite sure how to word things. It wasn't every day he talked about love and sex and everything about it and he struggled for words. Jensen tensed slightly, when Jared mentioned the lightning.

"It's called an orgasm, Jared," he replied, earning himself a playful push from Jared.

"No, man. I know what an orgasm is. It might have been my first time with someone else, but that doesn't mean I don't... um, nevermind. This... was... I don't know. Different. Never felt anything like it before. Never heard of something like it, either."

"Was it bad?" Jensen frowned.

"What? No! No, no, no, no," Jared hastened to say. "Just... odd."

Odd. Jensen pondered the word. There were quite a few things about what happened that seemed odd to him, but not odd in a wrong way. It was odd that he was falling in love with a human, especially with a very talkative, impulsive and affectionate one at that. It was even more odd that when they had sex he had felt the pulse. The pulse of the true leader. He had thought that was only possible among dragons. 

In itself Jensen couldn't yet grasp and process the entire meaning of it. How could he be the true leader? He was an outcast. Of sorts. How could Jared, as a human, have felt the pulse? Was it, because obviously he was the perfect mate for Jensen? Or did all humans feel the pulse, like all dragons must have.

Jensen gasped and stopped dead in his tracks. The other dragons. Surely they had felt it. Did they know it was him? Would they accept him as their leader? Did he have to take over the position? Or could he refuse it? He knew Airik had to be furious. Maybe he would challenge him. To fight for leadership. Even though the legend said the leader had to make way for a true leader.

"Jensen?" Jared sounded worried. "What's wrong?"

Jensen blinked his eyes and looked at his partner. Because he knew that's what they were and would always be. Did Jared know it, too?

"Nothing," Jensen shrugged. "Just thinking."

"About the odd stuff?"

Jensen studied Jared's hand that was resting on his arm.

"Maybe."

"Look, sorry. I didn't mean to make it seem that being with you was odd, I just..." Jared was cut off by Jensen's lips covering his. After a split second of surprise, he kissed back and when they broke apart, they were both out of breath.

"It wasn't odd, Jared. It was magical."

 

*****

 

Airik was perched up in his old spot on the rocks, eyes watching everything that happened in Rothír's Creek. He wasn't really interested in the settlement's daily schedule. He was just interested in Jared. Or rather, in what Jared was doing and who he was seeing. 

Arriving in his observation spot, Airik had seen Jared entering his hut alone. No sign of Jensen. The fact that Jensen kept apart from the village didn't surprise Airik. It was just something Jensen would do. But he wasn't going to look for wherever Jensen had taken camp. Jensen would notice him. And as long as Airik didn't have a definite plan, he was not going to risk a confrontation with the green eyed dragon. And if there was one place, or person, that would sooner or later lead him to Jensen, it was Jared.

During the night, nothing happened and Airik was getting bored. For the most part of fifteen years he hadn't been thinking about Jensen, and now that he'd seen him, heard him, felt his intensity, he couldn't stop thinking about him. To make matters worse, the budding feelings he'd had for the young dragon back then seemed to have multiplied. Especially given the knowledge that Jensen apparently thought a mere human would suffice as a mate. The idea of it alone made Airik feel a jealousy he had never felt before. It didn't matter that Jensen hated him. Airik was certain he would be able to change his mind. There was only one problem.

Dragons mated for life. In case the one partner died, the other would stay alone. Given the fact that Jared was human, Airik could probably just outwait his life span but he would be damned if he would consider waiting for who was supposed to be his. Especially given the fact Jensen had been revealed as the true leader. Jared would have to go. Dragons would stay alone, but Airik was certain he'd be able to convince Jensen to reconsider. He could be very persuasive.

During the next day, Jared disappeared into the blacksmith's hut and hardly ever put his head out. When a friend of his dropped by, he only left for about half an hour to eat before he returned to his work place. The whole day, however, there was no sign of Jensen. When Jared returned to his hut in after sundown, Airik was right out of patience. 

Getting entry to the settlement was never a problem. All the guards and most of the inhabitants knew him as the trader and he was always welcome. This time, however, he strode right towards Jared's hut. Knocking, he followed the humans' protocol and waited.

"Airik," Jared sounded surprised when he opened the hut. "What are you doing here?"

Airik worked hard not to glare at the human and Jared's question surprised him. He hadn't bothered to think about what he would say. Basically he just wanted to get rid of him, but he couldn't do that right there. Sensing a wariness about Jared that he'd never noticed before, Airik assumed Jensen had told him about their past. At least the parts he could tell without revealing himself.

"I... need to talk to Jensen. Do you know where I can find him?"

Jared looked the other man up and down, as if he was trying to determine what Airik was up to.

"I don't think he wants to see you," Jared replied in a tone that was so unlike him. No bubbly excitement. No unnecessary word.

"Yeah, well, it is important. Something has happened," Airik insisted.

"I know what happened. He told me. And I know he doesn't wanna see you. Apart from that, I don't know where he stays. Good bye."

Jared stepped back and pushed the door on, but Airik had put a boot in to stop it.

"I can't believe that. I've seen you two. And I'm telling you, me talking to him is of utter importance," Airik more or less growled.

"Remove your foot before I call the guards and have them remove _you,_ Airik," Jared warned. Finally Airik seemed to get the message. Jared breathed a sigh of relief when he closed the door, oblivious to the red flashing eyes on the other side of it.

Outside Rothír's Creek, Airik puffed out an angry cloud of smoke. Humans could be so infuriating. They were thinking themselves so mighty when a mere smack of his dragon claw could kill them instantly. But of course, they didn't know. 

If talking to Jared had already proved tough, Airik knew there was no way he could talk to Jensen. He'd end up with a knife in his chest, which would put a real dampener on his efforts to claim the younger dragon. The only way Airik could succeed in his plans was to kill Jared.

If Jared was dead, Jensen was free of a mate and maybe he would be more open to the idea of taking another one. One more suitable. A dragon. Him, Airik.

His scheme needed some serious planning, however. He couldn't just go and kill Jared in the settlement. Best was probably to make it look like an accident. Airik decided to head back to his cave to deliberate things with Roarke and the council and come up with a perfect plan to claim Jensen, their true leader.

 

*****

 

When Airik landed in front of his cave, he saw Roarke and another dragon waiting for him. Although he didn't recognize the other dragon, a smokey gray giant with diamond shaped scales and steel blue eyes, he immediately knew it was Fokke, leader of the flight beyond the Ice Seas. Airik puffed out his chest and let his red eyes glow even brighter. First impressions were everything among dragons. Taking in the three impressive horns on Fokke's head, Airik nodded at Roarke in greeting.

"Airik, this is Fokke," Roarke confirmed Airik's assession. "He arrived earlier this evening."

Fokke scrutinized the black and red scaled dragon from horns to tail. Then he puffed a small ring of smoke from each of his nostrils.

"You're not the true leader," Fokke remarked drily. Airik was upset.

"No. But I have been leading this flight since Hjálmarr's passing," he replied. "And in regards to the true leader, there is something I need to discuss. Inside."

With this, Airik walked past the two dragons inside his cave, waiting for them to follow.

"Alright," Fokke picked up the abandoned conversation. "Where is he? What do we need to discuss?"

Airik exchanged a glance with Roarke, seeing the elder dragon nod at him in indication that he would keep out of this discussion.

"The true leader is living amongst humans," Airik pushed out those words like he'd openes a can of scale mites. Fokke raised one eyebrow.

"As a dragon?"

"As a human. He didn't violate this ancient rule... yet. Although the humans know his dragon form." At Airik's words, Fokke nodded.

"I know Jensen's story. Hjálmarr had expressed his immense disappointment at this young dragon's trespassing of the rules. Are you sure the humans don't know his true nature?"

Airik explained how the village that had kept Jensen, the dragon, captive had been attacked and how Jensen must have escaped and taken on his human form to live amongst them. 

"And here, Fokke, lies the problem. It would seem, that the perfect mate our true leader has taken, is a human."

Roarke's yellow eyes grew big. The old dragon seemed to be taken completely by surprise and somehow Airik assumed, this would also be the case for Fokke. But when he looked at him, the gray dragon just blinked slowly before nodding thoughtfully.

"It's time," he then said.

"Time?" Airik was confused. Blue eyes bore into red ones.

"Time for humans and dragons to build a new alliance," Fokke spelled out. "I've been wondering if I would still be around to witness it."

Roarke looked like it dawned on him. 

"You mean, it's the prophecy?"

Fokke looked at the old dragon. "How could it not be?"

Prophecy? Airik was bewildered. He had never heard of any prophecy. The only story about dragons and humans living together he had heard as a youngling was a fairy tale. Surely the elder dragons weren't refering to this.

"Well, this will prove interesting," Roarke grunted. "Jensen broke the rules as a youngling. He spent years in captivity. And now that he lives among humans, chosing a human mate, he reveals as the true leader. And is supposed to guide both species to a peaceful togetherness. It will prove interesting."

"Indeed," Airik snorted. "Do we have to accept this? He's an outcast! He can't lead us. Maybe he doesn't even want to."

"The pulse is never wrong, young Airik," Fokke replied with an air of reproval. "Jensen _is_ the true leader. He can't decide not to be."

It was obvious Airik was not happy. He began pacing around in his cave, zillions of thoughts and emotions running through his mind.

"But his mate is human! Human!! Is there nothing that can be done?"

Fokke's eyebrows knotted in a frown. While a human mate was not something that had happened in millennia, it had happened. In fact, the last time the dragons had had a true leader, the mate had been a human. The stories said it had been a time of prosperity for both species, but a jealous human had plotted against the union and murdered both the true leader and his mate. As a result, the species had decided to keep apart and the dragons had set up the rule never to interact with a human. In neither of their forms. The rule, that ultimately was the cause of Jensen's captivity, one way or another.

"Why do you want to do something about it? Our magic has obviously decided the time is right for another true leader, no matter who or what is the mate."

"What would happen if the human dies? Humans obviously age much faster than us. Would he have to rule alone?"

"I suppose that would be up to the leader," Fokke replied. "He could chose to take a new mate. But I suppose he could go on ruling alone. Either way, he'll be the leader until the day he dies. However, I have heard that the magic happening during the pulse adjusts the human's natural life span to that of a dragon. This is the only reason a human mate also feels the pulse that usually only those with dragon blood in their veins feel."

Fokke's words kept bouncing around in Airik's head. So even though Jared would now age at the rate of a dragon so he and Jensen could rule together, there was still the possibility of killing him. And then he could convince Jensen to take a new mate, him, so he wouldn't have to rule alone for centuries. Mind made up, Airik finally grinned and nodded at the elder dragons. 

"Now how do we get Jensen to accept his position?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Fokke asked.

"Well, he must have felt the pulse. He knows what it means. Yet, in all the time since it happened, he hasn't felt the need to show up here and claim the throne," Airik explained.

"Does he have to?" Roarke asked.

"It doesn't matter if he has to," Fokke agreed with Airik. "Since it is a matter that involves the humans, it has to be discussed. Can you find him and talk to him?"

Fokke's attention was fully on Airik as he posed the question. Airik nodded determinedly.

 

*****

 

Jared admired the sword he held in his hand. It had taken him the better part of two days to perfect it's design, weight and ornaments and he had been so engaged in it, that he had hardly realized he hadn't seen Jensen since they parted after their time at the river. Now that Jensen's sword was ready, including some ornament emerald drops in the handle, he could hardly wait to present it to him.

Airik's visit the night before returned to his memory and Jared wondered whether the trader had found Jensen after all. He was certain any meeting between the two would be anything but harmonious. Given the way Jensen had reacted to Airik's attempt to talk the first time, there was no way Jared could see them come to a consensus, no matter how important the topic was.

Finding some leftovers from last night's supper, Jared warmed them over the flames in the oven and ate before getting comfortable on his cot and drifting off into a fitful sleep.

In the morning, after some decent coffee and some porridge for breakfast, Jared decided to work a bit on the other sword, his own, before setting out to look for Jensen. However, while he was still busy carving some indentured into the metal where he wanted to include the gems, a shadow fell over his work place and he looked up.

"Hey," Jared greeted as Marten watched intently what he was doing.

"Hey," Marten replied. "You gonna stay working whole day again?"

"Ummm," Jares hummed, looking at his project. "No. I should be done by lunch time. Why?"

"Well, the twins and I were planning on getting fire wood. I'm sure we could use two more hands."

"Right. I hear you," Jared sighed. "Okay, I will get you where, then?"

"We're just going for the first haul now, Halbert and Herbert are getting the wagon ready. Just wait for us outside the fence. You can do the second haul with us, then," Marten informed him.

"Great. Deal." Jared grinned at his friend who grinned back and then left.

"Laters, Jared."

At lunch time, Jared just grabbed a loaf of freshly baked bread and headed outside the village to wait for the boys by the horses' hitching place. He hadn't been sitting there long, when suddenly he noticed a frantically running figure approaching. He squinted against the sun and finally recognized the person. It was Airik. Jared wanted to get angry, because obviously, this man just didn't take no for an answer. But when Airik came to a stop next to him, his words made Jared's blood run cold.

"Jared, help... I need help. Jensen needs help! Come quickly!"

"Whoa... wait. What?"

Airik was panting, trying to catch his breath from running. 

"We, I found him still yesterday. We talked. He agreed to help me with my wagon, up at the Unicorn Pass. I,... he... well the wagon kinda tipped, knocked me out and to the ground, and Jensen, well, he's buried underneath it. Pinned down. I can't get the wagon off him alone, so please just come and quickly!" 

Airik already turned to run back the way he came as Jared was still processing his words.

"Wait!" Jared called when his body had caught up to his brain. He grabbed the reins of the closest horse and swung onto its back, only stopping to give Airik a hand to get on behind him. Then he kicked his heels into the horse's sides to make it run as fast as it could. He would apologize to it later, but for now all that matteres to him was getting help to Jensen.

 

**Author's Note:**

> A big THANK YOU for the idea bouncing and help goes to **DarkSun** ♡


End file.
